Going in the right direction? Tracking adaptation finance at the subnational level
The Adaptation Finance Accountability Initiative (AFAI) project seeks to improve accountability around adaptation finance. It does so by promoting the development and use of tracking tools, to collect evidence of where adaptation funds are going and the ease with which stakeholders can access information on adaptation projects. Both are important aspects of accountability. The aim is to help civil society organisations (CSOs) hold donors and governments to account on adaptation money being spent.
Our research finds that local projects labelled adaptation and funded by donors and national governments, do not always directly address climate change risks. This presents difficulties for tracking adaptation finance. There are also challenges in accessing information from some donors and national government agencies on how adaptation funds are actually dispersed.
Decisions about adaptation project activities are often taken without a clear understanding of the priorities manifested at different scales. As a result initiatives tend either to satisfy community needs, or national level priorities, but the two priorities rarely relate to each other. National strategies for climate finance need to be informed by the priorities of subnational institutions and local communities.
At sub-national level, stronger links to national organisations and international donors are needed to raise awareness and share project data. Streamlining of reporting mechanisms across administrative units would also make it easier for local governments and CSOs to access information on adaptation activities.