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synthesis report adaptation knowledge management workshop harnessing adaptation knowledge in the asia-pacific region 28 february 2011 bangkok thailand

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acknowledgements the organizers of adaptation knowledge management akm workshop would like to acknowledge the support of robert w solar from sofedev and the learning institute cambodia to design the workshop and to develop this synthesis report also we would like to thank the organizations who have shared their knowledge management models and practices namely adaptation learning mechanism asia development bank bangladesh centre for advanced studies care international centre for initiatives and research on climate adaptation centre of excellence for climate change knowledge management climate and development knowledge network climate change adaptation sri lanka climate himalaya initiative development alternatives institute for global environmental strategies international centre for integrated mountain development keio university knowledge centre for climate change adaptation in agriculture and natural resources in southeast asia korea adaptation centre for climate change/korea environment institute mangroves for the future nairobi work programme the united nations framework convention on climate change nepal climate change knowledge management center solution exchange the climate impacts global and regional adaptation support platform the institute of development studies united nations development programme -thailand united nations foods and agriculture organisation and world wildlife fund copyright © ait-unep rrcap 2011 bangkok thailand february 2011 how to obtain the digital copy the adaptation knowledge management workshop proceedings harnessing adaptation knowledge in the asia-pacific region can be electronically down loaded from the www.asiapacificadapt.net this digital publication may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for educational or non-profit purposes without special permission from the copyright holder provided acknowledgement of the source is made the ait-unep rrc ap-regional climate change adaptation knowledge platform for asia would appreciate receiving a copy of any publication that uses this report as a source.

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knowledge management knowledge management comprises of a range of strategies and practices used in an organization or network to identify create represent distribute and enable adoption of insights and experiences such insights and experiences comprise knowledge either embodied in individuals or embedded in organizational processes or practice knowledge management efforts typically focus on a set of objectives e.g innovation the sharing of lessons learned integration and continuous improvement knowledge management efforts overlap with organizational learning and may be distinguished from that by a greater focus on the management of knowledge as a strategic asset and a focus on encouraging the sharing and use of knowledge as a backdrop to the adaptation knowledge management workshop the adaptation knowledge platform akp and the asia pacific adaptation network apan are actively facilitating climate change adaptation at local national and regional scales in asia and the pacific knowledge management being one of core activities as part of this effort the web portal `climate change adaptation in asia and the pacific was launched as a collaborative effort amongst the adaptation knowledge platform apan the united nations development programme s adaptation learning mechanism and the stockholm environment institute s weadapt noted amongst these partners has been the proliferation of knowledge management initiatives yet many lack collaboration between the producers and users of adaptation knowledge in response the adaptation knowledge management akm workshop aimed to identifying and link knowledge partners together and to surface efficient ways to generate and share knowledge in a way that promotes dialogue and improves the exchange and use of knowledge through various interactive sessions noted is that knowledge management practices are becoming dynamic and timely respective of meeting knowledge needs knowledge management actors are engaging more in the generation of adaptation knowledge by supporting and or conducting research and workshops to synthesizing and disseminating this in the form of policy briefs news releases even through mobile knowledge centers yet challenges still exist around knowledge generation how such lends to content and contextual needs and how knowledge promotion can further the active use of such in practice and in decision-making processes at all levels of society and across sectors furthermore there is a tendency to focus on climate change threats and to a far lesser extent on solutions and on forms of communication and knowledge akin to national interests which not always match well with local level interests summary recognized by workshop participants is that climate change adaptation planning requires the application of specific community level and national level knowledge to merge this poses a challenge to knowledge providers for many national level planners and decision-makers are reluctant to make use of both knowledge banks subsequently leading to a less than applicable adaptation plan that may also carry an inherent high degree of risk resulting from the exclusion of local level knowledge further challenges are related to knowing what and where knowledge needs to be applied and the lack of practical capacity building

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efforts for civil servants and or policy decision-makers to make effective use of knowledge provided this signifies a clear need for knowledge generators and providers alike to bring context forward and to adjust how information is packaged to meet the needs of individual stakeholders understanding this very well workshop participants have agreed to engage and strategically contribute to an emerging climate change community of practice beginning with further outlining how knowledge would be systematically focused generate and disseminate t h e workshop has also looked into how to incentivize climate change adaptation stakeholders to make better use of knowledge portals e.g by having country sector expertise focal persons operational within the portal through online dialog aiding in capacity development to the introduction of an award system for outstanding knowledge generation and sharing efforts e.g access to specialized capacity development to knowledge product gifts e.g books to technical assistance however noted is that this would not be enough technical solutions to knowledge management are also required to increase access and usability i.e linking people and knowledge management systems together surfaced is the intent to align various platforms knowledge portal via data structures and search functions so that users can enter a query in one platform and the search also draws on content stored by other platforms this form of linkage is currently being pursued by the undp`s adaptation learning mechanism and the unep s regional climate change adaptation knowledge portal within this document found are listings of many knowledge management barriers and forward needs from the perspective of knowledge users providers and intermediaries suggested as a way forward are 1 improvements in how donor agencies allocate resource support to knowledge management efforts i.e not just for storage and e-dissemination but to also consider capacity development for the use of knowledge at all levels and 2 for the climate change adaptation community to enhance expand their engagements beyond the usual actors to those that support knowledge dissemination and social change as a preliminary step participants have agreed to re-gather either through on-line e-forms or in small working groups each focused on specific working area to develop a phased strategy for `knowledge management improvement to be integrated adopted and acted upon by regional partners.

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contents abbreviations acronyms background workshop profile opening address knowledge management models the climate and development knowledge network adaptation learning mechanism institute of development studies knowledge services unfccc and the nairobi work programme solutions exchange international centre for integrated mountain development nepal climate change knowledge management center climate change adaptation sri lanka center of excellence for climate change knowledge management centre for initiatives and research on climate adaptation ci:grasp indo-german development cooperation i iii iv v 2 3 5 8 10 12 15 16 17 19 21 23 26 33 35 37 39 41 49 reflecting on adaptation knowledge management your platform your terms terms of reference for knowledge partners fostering adaptationknowledge sharing a way forward annex 1 annex 2 annex 3

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asian institute of technology-united nations environment programme regional resource centre for asia and the pacific ait-unep rrc.ap adaptation knowledge management akm convention on biological diversity cbd climate change adaptation cca adaptation learning mechanism alm asia pacific adaptation network apan acquired immune deficiency syndrome aids aids competency process acp abbreviations acronyms asian development bank adb climate change and adaptation initiative ccai climate change knowledge management cckm climate and development knowledge network cdkn united kingdom department for international development dfid geographic information system gis disaster management center dmc global environment facility gef danish international development assistance danida deutsche gesellschaft für internationale zusammenarbeit giz food and agriculture organization fao institute for global environment strategies iges international labor organization ilo institute of development studies isd international centre for integrated mountain development icimod institute of development studies knowledge services idsks human immunodeficiency virus hiv knowledge center on climate change kc3 information and communication technologies for development ict4d i

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nepal academy of science and technology nast non government organizations ngos nairobi work programme nwp solution exchange se national adaptation programme of action napa least developed countries fund ldcf mekong river commission mrc millennium development goals mdgs knowledge management km nepal climate change knowledge management center ncckmc national science and technology development agency nstda special climate change fund sccf pilot program for climate resilience ppcr stockholm environment institute sei southeast asian regional center for graduate study and research in agriculture searca swedish international development cooperation agency sida united nations un global change system for analysis research and training start swedish environmental secretariat for asia sensa united nations framework convention on climate change unfccc vulnerability assessment matrix vam united nations children s fund unicef world health organization who united nations educational scientific and cultural organization unesco united nations development programme undp united nations environment programme unep joint united nations programme on hiv aids unaids unccd united nations convention to combat desertification unccd ii

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adaptation to climate change is a complex process which can be characterized as decision making under a pall of uncertainties it entails an intelligent assessment of risks and opportunities associated with climate change for the natural environment as well as the human civilization identification and appraisal of adaptation options followed by their implementation monitoring and evaluation adaptation planning and practices involve multiple stakeholders who require knowledge and expertise from several disciplines to address specific needs at various levels in numerous sectors systems therefore successful adaptation policies and actions are dependent on effective knowledge management to provide a sound information and knowledge base despite the proliferation of knowledge management initiatives and their associated products e.g online platforms and portals etc major gaps exist in the provision and delivery of accessible and practical adaptation knowledge these gaps have partially hindered implementation of concrete adaptation policies and practices so has the lack of collaboration between the producers and users of adaptation knowledge in addition lack of cooperation between those mandated to produce knowledge and those mandated to disseminate it has also been identified as a key barrier to effective knowledge support for adaptation on the ground background 1 2 formally known as the regional climate change adaptation knowledge platform for asia which has been jointly established by the asian institute of technology-united nations environment programme regional resource centre for asia and the pacific ait-unep rrc ap the stockholm environment institute sei the swedish environmental secretariat for asia sensa and united nations environment programme regional office for asia and the pacific unep roap with funding support from the swedish international development cooperation agency sida the apan is facilitated by unep the institute for global environment strategies iges ait-unep rrc.ap and the asian development bank adb in partnership with other key actors in the region with support from the ministry of environment of japan and the swedish environment secretariat for asia launched in 2009 by the prime minister of thailand h.e mr abhisit vijjejiva the adaptation knowledge platform 1 and the asia pacific adaptation network apan2 are actively facilitating climate change adaptation at local national and regional scales in asia and the pacific knowledge management is one of its core activities as it is fundamental to successful adaptation requiring expertise in planning implementation and policy process from a multitude of disciplines to address specific needs at multiple levels across multiple sectors the web portal `climate change adaptation in asia and the pacific was launched at asia pacific climate change adaptation forum 2010 aiming to provide a one stop shop for knowledge on climate change adaptation in asia and the pacific it is a collaborative effort amongst the adaptation knowledge platform apan the united nations development programme s adaptation learning mechanism and the stockholm environment institute s weadapt despite the proliferation of knowledge management initiatives a lack of collaboration between the producers and users of adaptation knowledge remains furthermore the information is often not packaged in a user friendly manner repeatedly pointed out in the adaptation forum 2010 it is this `gap that the adaptation knowledge platform and apan have been trying to fill by building bridges and forging partnerships throughout the region and by making the most of its web portal to promote the exchange of information in a user friendly format iii

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workshop profile the adaptation knowledge management akm workshop aimed at identifying knowledge partners to link regional climate change adaptation knowledge through a knowledge sharing system that promoted dialogue and improved the exchange of knowledge information and methods within and between countries on climate change adaptation and to link existing and emerging networks and initiatives facilitating this linkage was the use of web portals that together helped to bridge gaps between knowledge providers and users in the end enabling all stakeholders to enact informed responses to the challenges that climate change presents objectives the web portal -climate change adaptation in asia and the pacific has been designed and developed in an effort to increase access to information and promote and improve exchange of adaptation knowledge experience and tools in the region the interactive gateway for climate change adaptation is a response to the demand for effective mechanisms for sharing information and knowledge on climate change adaptation and developing adaptive capacities in asian and pacific countries the knowledge-based web portal will offer services such as climate change adaptation information and knowledge assimilation generation through an online community of practice management sharing and exchange primarily the web portal will aim to provide concise information on projects information resources and knowledge products on climate change adaptation in the asia and pacific region besides sharing these with the climate adaptation community at different levels from practitioners to decisionmakers to donors and to the media climate data project information videos innovative research and descriptions of people and organizations doing adaptation will all be available through the system · to identify knowledge partners · to engage knowledge partners to come to an understanding and agreement outlining a strategy to foster adaptation knowledge sharing at regional and at national levels a common vision of knowledge management in the region and constitute a preamble for a working framework · inputs received from the workshop will help derive an adaptation knowledge management framework with key players identified and their roles defined and · to prepare guidelines on knowledge codification dissemination and management these guidelines will be an extension of the framework and will attempt to explain how institutions will provide information to the web portal including the procedure formats and links expected outputs the partnering organizations in the initiative were the adaptation knowledge platform and asia pacific adaptation network the workshop invited information knowledge focal points to take stock of adaptation knowledge relevant to the asia-pacific region highlight good practices and lessons learned identify guidelines ways and means to strengthen information exchange amongst a diverse range of adaptation stakeholders including vulnerable communities i.e the ultimate beneficiaries of adaptation knowledge donor organizations implementing agencies national and regional research institutions knowledge intermediaries knowledge brokers and the private sector profile of participants iv

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opening address greetings and welcome to the adaptation knowledge management workshop harnessing adaptation knowledge in the asia-pacific region climate change adaptation is one of the most important and serious issues of our time especially in asia and the pacific region to build resilience to climate change and prosper knowledge how it is gathered used and shared will be an integral part of how we will gain resilience to the problems we face this signifies that the effective management of this knowledge is paramount to supporting efficient and appropriate climate change adaptation activities we need to know who has what and who needs what this is just one of the roles knowledge management fills by knowing we can move our region nations and communities forward dealing with climate change in the most effective and appropriate way underscoring the importance of knowledge our challenge is now how to manage the existing knowledge we have and to connect it to those who need it and in the way they need it i thank you all for attending this workshop to deal with these issues and challenges i also encourage you to think about how your work and the work you do here in this workshop can contribute to the rio+20 earth summit in 2012 where once again climate change adaptation issues will be front and center dr young-woo park regional director unep roap v

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proceedings report knowledge management models the climate and development knowledge network adaptation learning mechanism institute of development studies knowledge services unfccc and the nairobi work programme global international centre for integrated mountain development regional national climate change knowledge management center nepal climate change adaptation sri lanka center of excellence for climate change knowledge management thailand solutions exchange india centre for initiatives and research on climate adaptation and climate change academy philippines sub-national ci:grasp indo-german development cooperation new initiative 2

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harnessing adaptation knowledge in the asia-pacific region the climate and development knowledge network the climate and development knowledge network cdkn supports decision-makers in designing and delivering climate compatible development this is done by combining research advisory services and knowledge management in support of locally owned and managed policy processes cdkn works in partnership with decision-makers in the public private and non-governmental sectors nationally regionally and globally effective knowledge sharing is a fundamental pillar of the climate and development knowledge network shaped by the demands emerging at the country level to fill knowledge gaps to facilitate the proliferation and sharing of knowledge cdkn makes full use of the latest online communication tools organizes faceto-face events and makes use of print video and other formats to reach different audiences www.cdkn.org · producing a regular flow of publications to capture and distil the latest knowledge and present such in a convenient and accessible way · producing an annual review of research highlighting latest trends and key knowledge gaps · organizing policy dialogue events in latin america africa and asia · operating a network website to supply a wide range of high quality content and links to information resources supported by a range of interactive features including community workspaces blogs and social networking tools and · knowledge-sharing combined with direct technical assistance to governments and support for original research knowledge sharing supported by as cdkn focuses on climate compatible development it tries to bridge gaps between policy and practice by helping stakeholders grasp the opportunities low emission development brings e.g addressing poverty advancing human wellbeing and the building of a more climate-resilient future however to do so access to the best available knowledge is crucial in designing and delivering climate compatible development prevalent are gaps and capacity issues at every link in the knowledge chain particularly in supporting decision-makers at the country level this is further challenge by complexity uncertainty and politics around climate and development each posing extra challenges knowledge sharing challenges 3

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proceedings report to effective knowledge sharing meeting this challenge cdkn tries to avoid · underestimating the sustained effort needed to run effective and supportive knowledge initiatives · over-optimism over the power of new web tools · thinking that `sharing learning is easy · institutional profiles getting in the way of open knowledge sharing and · forgetting that knowledge sharing is all about people cdkn s approach to knowledge management · using a broad definition to knowledge management not just web platforms · being demand-led guided by country engagements · being smart recognising complexity within processes of change · collaborative building on what s there not duplicating · taking a `being there approach going to where audiences are already engaging and not expecting them to always come to us · using a targeted approach not trying to do everything and · being results focused and partnership base listening reflecting adapting and collaborating e.g eldis panos oneclimate inter press service priority themes · defining climate compatible development · international processes · national and regional processes and · climate impacts and vulnerability 4

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