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ABOUT APAN FORUM
The largest gathering of adaptation practitioners in Asia and the Pacific to exchange learning, shape priorities, and advance climate solutions.

The Asia Pacific Adaptation Network (APAN) organizes the Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum (APAN Adaptation Forum), which has become a flagship adaptation event and the largest gathering of adaptation practitioners specifically for the Asia and Pacific region. It provides a platform to meet, share learning and experiences, and work together toward the pertinent adaptation outcomes and practical solutions needed to address the challenges of climate change. The APAN Adaptation Forum offers a platform to exchange learning, collaborate on practical climate solutions and advance adaptation outcomes. It focuses on emerging issues that need deeper understanding and enables dialogue across actors and levels—local to global—to shape priorities and recommendations.

Since 2010, the APAN Forum has brought together a diverse mix of adaptation practitioners from across regional, national, and sub-national levels. It has evolved into a key platform for engagement across science, finance, youth, civil society, international bodies, the private sector, and governments from over 50 countries.

The 8th Forum, themed “Resilience for All: Enabling Transformative Implementation”, emphasized the need to move beyond siloed approaches and adopt whole-of-society, systems-based strategies that reflect the interconnected nature of adaptation across sectors, spaces, and timeframes. Building on the recommendations of the 8th APAN Adaptation Forum and recognizing the current context, the 9th APAN Adaptation Forum will focus on catalyzing transformational adaptation by exploring the pathways, enablers and systemic shifts needed to build long term resilience across critical systems.

THE 9TH APAN ADAPTATION FORUM
Resilience for all: Catalyzing transformational adaptation

The 9th Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum (9th APAN Adaptation Forum) will take place from Monday, 29 September, to Friday, 3 October 2025, in Bangkok, Thailand. The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN) will co-host the Forum. It will be supported by the APAN Secretariat, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

OBJECTIVES
Building on past insights to deepen understanding, surface innovations, and mobilize collaboration for transformational adaptation in Asia and the Pacific.

The 9th APAN Adaptation Forum will build on the key messages and recommendations made during 8th APAN Adaptation Forum and advance discussions on transformational adaptation. It will aim to:

a) Enhance knowledge and understanding of transformational adaptation including how it differs from incremental approaches and the continuum of two in practice.

b)  Explore innovative policies, technologies, practices, and financial instruments and modalities, and changes needed to catalyze and support transformational adaptation.

c)  Identify strategic entry points and ideas for multi-stakeholder collaboration to drive coordinated, large-scale systemic changes to support transition and strengthen resilience across interconnected systems.

d)  Identify opportunities for integrating elements of transformational adaptation into national and regional development agendas to ensure inclusive and sustainable outcomes.

e) Draw elements from successful adaptation practices, lessons learned, and innovative approaches applied which are likely to support transition towards a transformational adaptation.

WEBINAR

To represent the current state of transformational adaptation in the region and lay the groundwork for meaningful discussions during the Forum, the session lead and partner organisations will conduct a Pre-Forum Webinar and Dialogue Series under the overall coordination of the APAN Secretariat, to gather feedback on the theme and promote shared understanding on recommendations for accelerating transformational adaptation in the region during August 2025.

The first webinar will introduce the concept of transformational adaptation, offering an overview of its status, progress, and relevance in the Asia-Pacific region. This session will familiarize stakeholders with foundational concepts and highlight how transformational adaptation differs from incremental approaches, setting the stage for deeper discussions during the Forum.

This will be followed by three interlinked dialogue sessions exploring synergistic approaches across systems. These will provide space to unpack the interdependencies and co-benefits across priority systems, including:

  • Food and agricultural systems with Land, water ecosystems and biodiversity
  • Infrastructure, cities, and industries 
  • Health, livelihoods, and societies highlighting social protection, community resilience, and climate-health linkages.

PARTICIPANTS

Practitioners from the following categories of organizations are expected to attend the forum.


  • Government.
  • Scientific organizations, research institutions, and academics.
  • International organizations and UN agencies.
  • Financial institutions.
  • Private sector.
  • Civil society organizations and indigenous representatives.
  • Media and communication organization.
  • Youth.