National Adaptation Plan for Zambia: Its Importance, The Process, Challenges And Lessons Learnt

Presentation by Joseph Mbinji, Government of Zambia, at the the Bilateral Peer-to-Peer Learning Workshop on National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Process between Namibia and Zambia held in Lusaka, Zambia, from August 7-9, 2024.

1. NATIONAL ADAPTATION PLAN FOR ZAMBIA:
ITS IMPORTANCE, THE PROCESS,
CHALLENGES AND LESSONS LEARNT

Joseph Mbinji

2. OUTLINE
•NAPs and their importance
•NAP process in Zambia
•Objective
•Alignment with NDC-NDP-SGDs
•NAP Zambia
•Moving from planning to implementation
•Challenges
•Lesson learnt

3. NAPs and their Importance
•NAPs are products of national adaptation planning processes,
which are a means of identifying and prioritizing the
country’s medium- and long-term adaptation needs and
developing and implementing strategies and programmes to
address those needs.
•NAPs are therefore instrument for coordinating, mobilizing
resources and driving actions of all actors and stakeholders in
pursuit of adaptation goals and outcomes at the national
level
•The Cancun Adaptation Framework (2010) initiated NAPs
•GGA - to
 
enhance adaptive capacity, strengthen resilience
and reduce vulnerability to climate change
• At the end of 2023, 52 developing countries had submitted
their NAPs to the UNFCCC
•142 developing countries that are Parties to UNFCCC are
undertaking measures to formulate and implement NAPs.

4. NAP PROCESS IN ZAMBIA
•The first attempt to develop a NAP for Zambia
started 2014
•The NAP Process was re-launched in April 2021
•This followed approval of a GCF readiness grant in
2020 amounting to US$2.1mn to support the NAP
process
•Implementing agency is MGEE while GWP is a
Delivery Partner
•The period (June 2020 – Dec 2023)

5. Objectives of the NAP
Strengthen national level coordination frameworks
and processes for mainstreaming climate change
adaptation into national, sub-national and sectoral
development planning and budget processes;
Define priority adaptation actions at national and
sub-national and for sectors;
Build capacity for NAP implementation, monitoring,
reviewing and reporting on national adaptation;
Develop financing strategies for identified
adaptation actions
Gender as integral dimension of NAP, guided by
Zambia’s 2018 Climate Change Gender Action Plan

6. Phase 2 Water
NAP
Phase 1: overall
NAP
Sectoral
NAP
(Water+)
Recognising ‘water as a
connector’, essential to all
sectors, a Water NAP will
serve as an important
pathway for building
resilience and strengthen
synergies with the water-
sensitive sectoral plans in
Zambia such as health and
agriculture
The overarching NAP
framework will enable
long term strategic
planning and
coordination of
adaptation in line with
National Development
Planning processes and
foster coherence and
synergies with sectoral
NAP planning
processes
Zambia NAP considers gender
differences in vulnerability and
adaptive capacity
Gender in Zambia NAP Process
A phased approach- an overall NAP followed by
Sectoral NAP-Water

7. Alignment with NDP, NDC & SDGs

8. Steps in the formulation of Zambia NAP
Zambia NAP process follows the LEG 4-stage guidelines for NAP formulation

9. Key Activities in the NAP process
•Based on the LEG NAP formulation guidelines
The 1
st
year: Element A - Laying the groundwork and
addressing gaps
•Undertook Stock taking exercise
•Developed and built consensus on the roadmap
•NAP official launch in April 2021
•Developed tools for integrating adaptation into plans and
budgets
•Undertook training of planning authorities at national and
provincial levels in tools for adaptation planning
•Developed M&E framework and tool for adaptation indicators
•Developed communication strategy
•Documentation of case studies on best practice

10. – Cont.
Year 2: -Element B - Preparatory elements
•Commissioned synthesis work and additional studies to
gather information on past trends, current and future
climate scenarios, economic impacts of climate change;
gender and impacts on social groups; impacts on
hydrology and water resources
•Developed tools for identifying, appraising and prioritizing
gender-sensitive adaptation actions for various sectors
and geographical regions
•Undertook stakeholder consultations to prioritize
adaptation actions and implementation strategies
•Conducted a capacity needs assessment for NAP
implementation

11. -Cont.
•Year 3:
–Initiated drafting of the NAP document early in the year of
2023
–Finalizing M&E framework and tools
–Stakeholder consultations on the draft NAP document
–Training in accessing climate finance for adaptation
–Developed Strategy for mobilizing resources for
implementing priority adaptation actions
–Official launch of the National Adaptation Plan
–Submission of NAP to UNFCCC

12. NAP Zambia – Key Features
•Launched Nov. 2023
•Officially submitted to UNFCCC in Dec 2023

13. NAP Zambia - Some Key Features

14. Some Key Features – Cont.

15. Moving from planning to implementation
•Take stock of already existing adaptation projects
•Resource mobilization – Investing in training
•Continuous preparation of concept proposals (from planning
stage to implementation)
•Coordination of resource mobilization efforts by various
stakeholders through a national level platform
•Coordination of monitoring and reporting

16. Challenges
•Slowed process (2020 – 2022) due to COVID-19
•Some critical data for national adaptation planning not readily
available.
•Poor knowledge management on climate change
•Baseline data for adaptation indicators
•Limited capacity by sectors to access climate finance to enable
implementation of priority adaptation actions in the NAP
•Limited private sector participation in adaptation
investments (lack of clear investments plans/guidance;
insufficient availability and adoption of climate risk data and
tools)
•Ensuring grassroots participation in the process

17. Some Important Lessons …
1.Ownership of the NAP process by Government
•Ministry of Finance and National Development Planning
(Development Plans-SDGs, Budgets)
•Ministry of Green Economy and Environment
• Ministry of Water (Water for sustainable development and climate
resilience)
2.Anchoring the NAP process with a higher level national process
•National Development Planning and the NDC
3.A comprehensive NAP (climate resilient long-term plans and prioritized
adaptation actions; financing strategy; gender differences, private
sector role, etc)
4.NAP coordination structure within the National CC Coordination System

18. Lessons – Cont.
18
5. Multi-stakeholder participatory process involving private
sector, CSOs, cooperating partners etc
6. Collaboration between Zambian Government and partners
(e..g GWP) in mobilizing resource for NAP process
7. Capacity building on climate finance for NAPs should be an
on-going and continuous process from the start of the NAP
process
8. NAP is an iterative process
9. Don’t wait for planning process before embarking on
resource mobilization