2.2.

2 Quantified targets

As at 31 August 2022, over one third of countries have

incorporated quantified adaptation targets in their

adaptation communications (‘adcoms’), nationally

determined contributions (NDCs), or NAPs submitted

to the UNFCCC alone. This represents an increase since

2018, at which point around a quarter of countries had

defined quantified adaptation targets (UNEP 2018). The

The majority of these targets are based on processrelated

outputs

that

lend

themselves

to

quantification

and

measurement.

For

example,

these

include

targets

related

to

actions

such

as

planting

trees,
developing

adaptation

plans

at

various

levels

of

governance

or

increasing

the

amount

of

designated

marine

or

coastal

protected

areas.

By

contrast,

only

few

are

based

on

the
intended

outcomes

of

adaptation

measures.

For

example,

achieving

10

per

cent

presence of such targets may suggest a trend towards

reduction in the number of cases of human vector-borne

“outcome-oriented and measurable adaptation planning”

(UNEP 2021a).

diseases associated with climate change (decadal average)

by 2030. Table 2.B.1, Annex 2.B (online) showcases a range

of examples of quantified targets from different sectors.

In order for such targets to be measured and in turn

facilitate increasingly more effective adaptation action

over time, it is important that countries clearly articulate

and establish mechanisms for their assessment. However,

in the documents in which these targets are outlined, the

arrangements for such assessments are often unclear.

This may lead to challenges, in particular where quantified

targets are centred on abstract concepts (such as

vulnerability, resilience and adaptive capacity) that pose

significant methodological challenges when it comes to

measurement (UNFCCC Adaptation Committee 2021).

2.3 Assessment of adequacy and

effectiveness of adaptation planning

Of the five criteria of adequacy and effectiveness of

adaptation planning defined previously (UNEP 2021a; UNEP

2021b), this chapter focuses on two: inclusiveness and

implementability. The purpose of focusing on only two is to

enable deeper and more nuanced analysis compared with

the broader but more surface-level analyses conducted in

previous years.

A number of countries have anchored targets expressed

in their NDCs in national laws and policies. For example,

the forest coverage target expressed in Kenya’s NDC is

reaffirmed in the country’s 2018–2022 National Climate

Change Action Plan (Kenya 2018; Kenya 2020).

2.3.1 Inclusiveness

When analysing the inclusiveness of national adaptation

planning, the 2021 edition of the AGR found that 70 per

cent of countries developed their adaptation plans through

stakeholder consultations, while 73 per cent noted the

importance of integrating gender considerations into

adaptation planning. This section expands on this analysis

by examining national laws and policies to assess whether

the following disadvantaged groups are being considered

in planning processes:

Targets expressed in national laws and policies may take

on legal force, be attached to budgets and be subject to

M&E and interministerial or inter-agency coordination. It is

therefore critical that countries take measures to integrate

targets from NDCs into their national legal and policy

frameworks.

● Persons with disabilities

● Children, young people and future generations

● Gender

Indigenous peoples
● Framing: reference to gender and disadvantaged

groups ranges from emphasis on the particular

vulnerability of these groups to emphasis on their

agency and roles in responding to the impacts of

climate change.

● Migrants

● Local communities

● Representation: different groups appeared to be

represented to differing extents in adaptation laws

and policies. For example, while references to

children, young people and future generations were

identified in most documents studied, relatively

low reference was found to indigenous peoples.

However, this may reflect the fact that this is only

a relevant term for communities living in certain

countries.

These are groups whose participation in these processes is

often overlooked and whose rights the preamble to the Paris

Agreement recognizes as requiring particular consideration

in the formulation of climate change policies. Therefore,

an appraisal of the degree to which they are included in

adaptation planning, while not to be taken as an indication

of whether policies are specifically being targeted towards

meeting the needs of these groups, provides a proxy

indicator of how inclusive the resulting plans are.

To conduct this assessment, keyword lists were created for

each of the above groups, and instances of each keyword

were identified across the full texts of 563 English-language

● Diversity of policy response: although references to

certain groups were identified across the laws and

policies of a large number of countries, this does

not necessarily represent a uniform policy response

to groups’ needs. For example, while Kiribati’s

national law and policy documents that relate directly to

2013 National Framework for Climate Change

climate change adaptation. Annex 2.C (online) provides

further information about the methodology underlying

this assessment.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

The analysis suggests the following overall points about

inclusiveness in adaptation laws and policies:

and Climate Change Adaptation articulates the

Government’s advocacy for “permanent migration as

a form of adapting to the adverse effects of climate

change”, the Federated States of Micronesia’s 2013

Nationwide Integrated Disaster Risk Management

and Climate Change Policy makes the strategic

objective to “Prevent environmental migration

through adaptation strategies” (Kiribati 2013;

Federated States of Micronesia 2013).

● Frequency: reference to gender and disadvantaged

groups in adaptation laws and policies appears to

have increased with time, as does the number of

adaptation laws and policies with titles that indicate

an explicit focus on gender or disadvantaged groups.

The total number of laws and policies containing reference

to each group is shown in figure 2.3.