UN Capital Development Fund 57d ago

The challenge in climate adaptation is alignment. That was the thread running through the latest session in the Bridging the Gaps webinar series, co-hosted by UNCDF and SINTEF, bringing together Adam Sparre Spliid from the Danish Embassy in Uganda, Justine Audrain, UNCDF's Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Lead for the LoCAL Facility, and Herman Helness, Senior Researcher at SINTEF. Four things stood out from the discussion: 1️⃣ Climate risk data exists but it isn't always accessible or user-friendly. Science can't inform local decisions if local governments can't access or use it. 2️⃣ Pilots are not the problem. Scale is. As Adam put it directly: "We have the solutions. We now need to scale." Denmark's recent $23.47 million investment for climate adaptation in rural Uganda, through UNCDF, is an example of this focus on scale. 3️⃣ Financial innovation matters as much as technical innovation. Guarantees are one of the most promising instruments for unlocking adaptation finance without waiting for additional grant funding that may not come. 4️⃣ The most successful innovations come from inside the context. MSMEs and local enterprises that understand the market and respond to needs that have already been identified. That’s why UNCDF’s LoCAL+ now offers a new private sector financing window. Chapters: 0:00 - Welcome & Series Introduction: Bridging the Gaps 0:35 - Today's Focus: Making Climate Adaptation Happen in Practice 2:20 - Meet the Panelists 4:36 - Opening Reflections 21:01 - From Fragmented Efforts to Integrated Adaptation Systems 33:07 - Partnerships for Scale 41:34 - What Innovations Have the Greatest Potential Over the Next Decade? 51:46 - Closing Remarks: The Challenge Is Alignment, Not Ambition 🔗 Read our new Strategic Framework: https://www.uncdf.org/strategic-framework Get involved: 🔗 UNCDF: https://www.uncdf.org 🔗 Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncdf 🔗 Follow on X: https://x.com/UNCDF 🔗 Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncdf 🔗 Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UNCDF 🔗 Follow on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@uncdf 🔗 Follow on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/uncdf.bsky.social #uncdf #unitednations #climatechange © UN Capital Development Fund 2026. All rights reserved.