The Global Goal on Adaptation -- turning global ambition into action
Joanes Atela
About the GGA and progress
The Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), established under Article 7 of the Paris Agreement in 2015, sets long-term objectives for enhancing adaptive capacity, building resilience, and reducing vulnerability to climate change. The GGA was launched at the COP 26 as part of the Glasgow-Sharm el-Sheikh work programme on the global goal on adaptation in 2021 where Parties mandated the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) to drive the process. At COP 28, Parties initiated the development of the Global Goal on Adaptation framework to help set and guide targets for adaptation efforts, measure progress, and enhance support for adaptation based on four pillars: assessing climate risks, planning and implementing adaptation, securing finance, and monitoring progress. To operationalize the framework, the UAE-COP 28 (CMA 5) further established a two-year UAE -- Belém work programme, on the development of indicators for measuring progress achieved towards the targets outlined in the framework. Specifically, at 60th meeting of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB 60), the SB Chairs convened a list of 78 experts drawn from across geographical divide and disciplines to assist in the technical work under the United Arab Emirates--Belém work programme. Through expert workshops, significant progress has been made in the development of metrics to track GGA progress. During SB62, the experts presented a list of 489 indicators across the target sectors to which Chairs were requested to invite the experts to reduce the number of indicators to no more than 100 headline indicators. The Expert meeting convened in Nairobi in September 2025, ultimately agreed on a list of 100 indicators to be presented at COP 30 in Belem, Brazil. While Parties raised key concerns on how the indicators align to contexts and developing country adaptation and data systems, there was a key decision to create provision for sub-indicators that are more contextually aligned. The methodology for achieving these were, however, not clearly agreed upon. Nonetheless, the progress made so far is a critical juncture shaping adaptation ambition of developing nations especially those from Africa. For Africa, ensuring that these indicators align with the continent's development priorities, lived realities, and community-led adaptation strategies is both urgent and essential.
The political ambition versus practical outlook
From its origins, the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) agenda is traced back to Africa-led high-level political leadership through the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC), with technical support from the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) and the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN). This initiative underscores the importance of mobilizing both regional and national political momentum, urging the global community to elevate adaptation to the same level of priority as mitigation within climate negotiations.
Accordingly, the GGA is built upon strong political ambition in advancing adaptation efforts across Africa. Most African nations have prioritized adaptation measures within their policies, including the development of national adaptation plans and the integration of adaptation as a central focus in NDCs 3.0.
Simultaneously, numerous regional and national adaptation planning activities---led by the African Union, national governments, and initiatives such as the Africa Adaptation Initiative (AAI), with support from the African Development Bank (AfDB) and other partners---continue to advance adaptation across the continent.
At the implementation stage, considerable progress has been made over the past decade to accelerate adaptation, particularly to benefit the most vulnerable groups within African communities. Initiatives such as Locally Led Adaptation (LLA) and Community-Based Adaptation have reinforced the role of local decision-making, financing, and technologies.
While sustained political commitment remains essential to accelerating GGA implementation and repositioning Africa not merely as climate-vulnerable but as a leader in transformative, climate-resilient development, a key concern is whether this political ambition will yield tangible results for Africa, where climate impacts are intensifying and the need for effective adaptation continues to grow (Ebi et al., 2022; UNFCCC, 2023).
Critical concerns
Amidst the growing momentum for strengthening local leadership in adaptation interventions, the Global Goal on Adaptation processes and outcomes present a new adaptation order. Specifically, the GGA presents an opportunity for increasing adaptation visibility and encouraging investment. However, it might also have significant implications on local leadership including re-directing local actions towards globally set targets and thereby reinforcing top-down approach to adaptation in the next decades.
Despite the political significance of the GGA at the macro-level, the role of local communities in setting up this framework remains unclear. To date, there are no clear structures set up at the global, regional or national level to guide the integration of community voices and aspirations in the process and expected outcomes. This concern is further exacerbated by the fact that many stakeholders in Africa still lack understanding of the GGA process and how they can engage with it. In the first pre-COP 30 webinar series convened by the Africa Research and Impact Network, over 70% of participants acknowledged that the GGA process is new to them. Most of these stakeholders highlighted that they are depending on the 'negotiators'' for more information about the GGA. This raises a fundamental question on the contextual integration of the GGA negotiation process -- a concern that if not addressed systematically might challenge the practical operationalization of the GGA. Studies on policy coherence shows that integrating local priorities in global climate change processes determines coherence in the policy making process and subsequent effective implementation of resultant policies especially within complex socio-economic contexts.
During the recently concluded SB62, the UN-Belem working group subjected a range of indicators they have been working on to discussions. The text on GGA can be accessed here but several concerns were raised including but not limited to:
- Overlap between the GGA process and other programmes such as the Nairobi work programme
- Weak consideration of gender issues
- Focus between output and outcome-oriented indicators.
- Alignment to context
Way forward -- the road to Belem
By COP30 in Brazil, the indicators, methodologies, and baselines for the GGA are expected to be finalised, coinciding with the Global Stocktake. Priorities include establishing a permanent GGA agenda, integrating Means of Implementation indicators, ensuring scientific credibility, and creating usable metrics for governments and partners. However, this requires several strategic actions:
Strengthening structures and engagements to bridge the gap between local aspirations and the GGA is critical, considering the continent's emphasis on adaptation in their Nationally Determined Contributions as part of their commitment to the Paris Agreement. Efforts such as the Locally Led Adaptation Metrics for Africa initiative seek to fill this gap by fostering learning and consolidating LLA indicators across Africa. However, such efforts require further strengthening and legitimization in the conversation. In other words, opening the GGA process to a conversation can help move the process from being technocentric to more conversational and adaptive.
Promoting Locally Led Adaptation (LLA): The decision on GGA emphasizes that adaptation action should be continuous, iterative and progressive and be based on and guided by the best available science, including through locally led and community-based adaptation. This is enabled through recognizing the role of the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities and following the principles of locally led adaptation. Therefore, while GGA promote LLA, there is the urgency to use science-based and the traditional knowledge, Indigenous Peoples' knowledge and local knowledge systems to develop LLA focused indicators, metrics and targets.
Leveraging Data and Technology: Robust adaptation planning and monitoring depend on data-driven and evidence-based systems. African stakeholders should invest in climate information services, early warning systems, and digital technologies such as AI, GIS, and satellite monitoring to assess climate risks and track adaptation progress. Programs like Africa's Climate Data Observatory (ACDO) and collaborations with institutions like AGRHYMET and ICPAC are improving regional access to climate data, which is vital for GGA tracking and reporting.
Strengthening Regional and Global Collaboration: A united front can influence the operationalization of the GGA to reflect African priorities, such as loss and damage, food security, and climate justice. Collaboration with global partners on technology transfer, capacity building, and knowledge exchange will further strengthen Africa's GGA implementation, while regional partnerships like SADC and ECOWAS can help coordinate transboundary adaptation strategies.