International climate adaptation conference says 2015 summits must address the needs of the world's poor

More than 400 delegates from 90 countries attended CBA9 in Nairobi from April 27-30. CBA9 is the latest in a series of international conferences looking at how to assist local communities to take action on adapting to climate change. 

The conference declaration says the 2015 global agenda has the potential to deliver real change by empowering communities to build a more resilient future.

The Nairobi Declaration (PDF) says:

• It is the responsibility of developed countries to support the adaptation efforts of poor and vulnerable groups
• Global agreements must increase and accelerate finance for adaptation in poor and vulnerable communities and establish transparent mechanisms for monitoring adaptation finance, and
• Leaders must ensure that these agreements reflect the needs and interests of the poorest and most vulnerable. 

The Nairobi Declaration will be delivered  to the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP21) in Paris later this year. It will be presented at COP21 by Fatima Mohamed Hussein of the National Climate Change Secretariat, Ministry of Environment, Water and Natural Resources on behalf of the Kenyan Government, which hosted this year's conference.   

CBA9 brought together representatives from governments, civil society, the scientific community, and international and non-governmental organisations. The theme of this year's event was 'measuring and enhancing effective adaptation'. 

Delegates reiterated the vital need to secure additional, adequate and transparent funds for adaptation, with an emphasis on supporting community-level efforts which can be overlooked when funding is managed centrally.

The text of the declaration builds on the recommendations from last year's Kathmandu Declaration agreed at CBA8.

CBA9 was organised by the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) jointly with the Government of Kenya (GOK), the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS).

2015 will see a number of events on the global agenda which have the potential to deliver change and empower vulnerable communities that need support. Politicians and leaders will meet to draft agreements on Sustainable Development Goals, Financing for Development and Climate Change under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Quotes

Saleemul Huq, IIED senior fellow and director of ICCCAD, said: "The poorest and most vulnerable communities are disproportionately affected by climate change and this will continue unless the world's leaders make every effort to truly prioritise their needs in 2015's high-level summits."

Huq added: "Participant-led initiatives like CBA9 show the level of initiative that is taking place on a community level and up in vulnerable countries when it comes to adapting to and enhancing their resilience to climate change. They now need developing countries to go one step further in supporting them to meet their ambitious plans."