Impacts of climate change continue to increase in magnitude and frequency. This is why financial support becomes increasingly important to reduce vulnerability and build resilience of communities in Kenya against these impacts. The Adaptation Fund has been instrumental in supporting interventions that help communities to cushion the impacts of climate change.

South Africa’s Community Adaptation Small Grants Facility Project, funded under the Adaptation Fund, is drawing to a close, and has surfaced valuable lessons about implementing “enhanced direct access” mechanisms and making adaptation funding available at the local level. Project participants, including the 12 small grant recipients, met recently at an inter-district learning event to share their experiences.

In this paper, the Adaptation Fund NGO Network articulates its recommendations and policy suggestions for decisions to be taken at the thirty-third meeting of the Adaptation Fund Board (AFB33). The recommendations in this paper are based on the common position of the core partner organisations of the AF NGO Network. The paper is mainly addressed to the members of the Fund's two Committees (Project and Programme Review Committee and Ethics and Finance Committee), Board members and alternates in general as well as other interested stakeholders.

The challenge of adaptation finance is not only about how much funding is being mobilised, but also how it is used. It is crucial that available finance is used as efficiently and effectively as possible so as to reduce vulnerability and increase climate resilience. The Adaptation Fund, with over 10 years of experience in channelling adaptation finance, has a unique function in the international climate finance architecture and the global response to the impacts of climate change. With its distinct mandate, clear specialisation, and innovative features, the Adaptation Fund can play an important role in improving the quality of adaptation finance.