WES-MED will hold the Regional Roundtable on ‘Catalysing Financing for Climate Change Adaptation in the Mediterranean: The Role of the Private Sector’, on 2-3 December 2024, Athens & Online.

The Mediterranean, including its coastal and marine areas, faces significant risks from pollution, population growth, unsustainable land and sea use. Such risks are aggravated by climate change impacts, threatening natural ecosystems and human livelihoods, leading to extreme weather events, exacerbating droughts and floods, rising sea level, increasing land loss, and agricultural damage. Key economic sectors affected include tourism, agriculture, water, fisheries, transport, manufacturing, forestry, and energy, with varying impacts such as shrinking water supplies, reduced crop yields, declining fish catches, and increased forest fires. The private sector can engage in climate adaptation in different ways: companies of all sizes can climate-proof their operations; larger companies can invest upstream throughout their supply chain; responsible businesses can support climate adaptation actions for community resilience and ecosystems conservation; and private capital can finance investments that contribute to climate resilience transitions.

The Athens Regional Roundtable aims to elaborate on challenges and opportunities, roles and responsibilities as well as financing mechanisms and tools for engaging the private sector for climate change adaptation in the Mediterranean, with an emphasis on the coastal area in a Source to Sea approach. It would conclude with a set of recommendations for action for catalysing climate adaptation financing and for engaging the private sector in these. It targets stakeholders from all Mediterranean countries.

The Regional Roundtable is organised in the framework of the GEF MedProgramme SCCF Project and the EU Water & Environment Support (WES) Project. It is jointly hosted by the Global Water Partnership-Mediterranean (GWP-Med), Plan Bleu/RAC of UNEP/MAP and the EU WES Project, with the support of PAP RAC of MAP/UNEP.

Material of the Regional Roundtable:

• Preliminary concept note and agenda;
• ‘Methodological Guidelines on Preparing a Financial Plan for Climate Change Adaptation in Mediterranean Coastal Areas’, elaborated by GWP-Med within the SCCF Project of the GEF UNEP MAP MedProgramme.
• ‘Assessment on Private Sector Engagement to Catalyse Financing for Climate Adaptation in the Mediterranean’, elaborated by the EU WES Team, ARCOWA and GWP-Med within the EU WES Project and the SCCF Project of the GEF UNEP MAP MedProgramme. The Assessment provides an overview on the subject and assisting in shaping recommendations for enhancing related private action and investments.
• Practical information note.

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