The Nairobi work programme on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change is mandated by the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA). The five-year programme (2005-2010) aims to help all countries improve their understanding and assessment of the impacts of climate change and to make informed decisions on practical adaptation actions and measures.

Because of the speed at which climate change is happening, it is urgent that the vulnerability to climate change, particularly in developing countries, is reduced and their capacity to adapt is increased, and national adaptation plans are implemented. Parties are elaborating, under the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI), ways of implementing adaptation so as to respond to the adverse effects of climate change and especially meet the needs and concerns of developing country Parties (Articles 4.8 and 4.9).

The National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs) provide an important way to prioritise urgent adaptation needs for Least developed countries (Article 4.9). They draw on existing information and community-level input to identify adaptation projects required now in order to enable these countries to cope with the immediate impacts of climate change.

Community-based adaptation can greatly benefit from knowledge of local coping strategies. The secretariat has developed a local coping strategies database to facilitate the transfer of long-standing coping strategies and knowledge from communities which have adapted to specific hazards or climatic conditions, to communities which may just be starting to experience such conditions as a result of climate change.

Developing countries require international assistance to support adaptation (Articles 4.4, 4.8 and 4.9). This includes funding, technology transfer and insurance as well as resources to reduce the risk of disasters and raise the resilience of communities to increasing extreme events. Least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS) need particular consideration due to their extreme vulnerability.

Funding for adaptation is provided through the financial mechanism of the Convention, currently operated by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Funding opportunities include:

• the Trust Fund, including the Strategic Priority on Adaptation and support for national communications including vulnerability and adaptation assessments.
• the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) under the Convention
• the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) under the Convention

A further source of funding, not yet operational, will be the Adaptation Fund (AF) under the Kyoto Protocol managed by an Adaptation Fund Board (AFB) and established at COP13.