The 9th APAN Forum will continue to uphold resilience as its unifying theme, building on the legacy from the past forums. This year, the Forum will emphasize on four critical pathways for systems resilience, which reflect regional priorities, as well as the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) frameworks and IPCC’s recommendations for a just and climate-resilient future.
SYSTEMS PATHWAYS
These pathways focus on the following systems:
(1) Food and Agricultural Systems, (2) Land and Water Ecosystems and Biodiversity, (3) Infrastructure, Cities and Industries, and (4) Health, Livelihoods and Societies.
Pathways for food and agricultural systems
This system pathway continues from last year’s focus and remains an important topic given its critical relevance to Asia-Pacific. Climate change presents significant risks to food production, availability, and access—with extreme weather events and shifting climate patterns increasingly disrupting agriculture, leading to crop failures and rising food insecurity. Governments across the region through the UN Food Systems Summit and other commitments are prioritizing the transformation of food and agricultural systems with co-benefits for nutrition, public health, nature conservation, sustainable consumption, livelihoods and inclusive economies.
This system pathway will explore regenerative production and sustainable agriculture to equitable food access, nutrition, and distribution. Technical discussions will explore both the supply-side (e.g. agroecological practices, nature-based solutions, climate-resilient farming) and the demand-side (e.g. access to adequate and nutritious food, equitable food systems), while aligning with the GGA targets on food security. Emphasis will be placed on how food systems can transform to support rural livelihoods, address land-use challenges and contribute to long-term resilience.
Pathways for land and water ecosystems and biodiversity
This system pathway reflects an expanded and integrated focus for the 9th Forum, combining terrestrial, inland water, marine, coastal as well as mountain ecosystems. Building on the focus of the previous Forum, which highlighted the resilience of ecosystems and ecosystem services as essential for human well-being and planetary health, this year’s approach acknowledges the deep interlinkages between ecosystems and water systems. Ecosystems regulate water flows, while water availability and quality shape the health of ecosystems, thus a combined focus is imperative for proper adaptation efforts.
Hence, the Forum will revisit and advance the discussions on ecosystem-based adaptation while also promoting integrated strategies for disaster risk reduction and biodiversity conservation. It will also emphasize on forest and coastal ecosystems and explore land-to-sea systems thinking, addressing topics like coastal resilience, wetlands, watershed management and biodiversity protection. The pathway aligns with the GGA target to reduce water-related climate risks and conserve biodiversity, while promoting climate-resilient sanitation and water supply systems.
Pathways for infrastructure, cities and industries
This system pathway focuses on harnessing the opportunities presented by rapid urbanisation in the Asia-Pacific region to advance climate-resilient development. Urban and industrial systems concentrate both people and assets, making them highly vulnerable to climate risks—but also strategic entry points for transformational adaptation. This year’s Forum will explore how integrated and inclusive planning across urban design, land use and infrastructure investment can enhance adaptive capacity in diverse contexts, from informal rural settlements to large metropolitan hubs.
It also builds on discussions from previous forums, technical sessions will examine how to shift from siloed approaches to holistic strategies that incorporate ecological and social dimensions—reducing the risk of maladaptation and leveraging co-benefits for health, equity. Attention will also be given to the urban heat island effect, which is intensifying due to climate change. The Forum will explore climate-resilient housing, urban transport and energy infrastructure, digital and smart city innovations, and the role of public and private finance in retrofitting existing systems for resilience. It aligns with GGA target to increase the resilience of infrastructure and human settlements.
Pathways for health, livelihoods and societies
This system pathway centers on human resilience and social systems, realizing that societal well-being is shaped by the interconnected dimensions of health, identity, culture and livelihoods. It aligns with the GGA targets to reduce climate-related morbidity and mortality, protect livelihoods, and safeguard cultural heritage—particularly for the most vulnerable communities.
Technical discussions will explore integrated approaches that link climate-resilient health services, poverty eradication, indigenous knowledge, cultural heritage preservation, and inclusive social safety nets. The stream will also highlight the systemic interconnectedness between human well-being and broader social, economic, and institutional systems—emphasizing the need for multisectoral collaboration to foster long-term resilience.
Importantly, all the systems pathways are inherently connected to each other. The Forum will explore these interlinkages, recognizing that building resilience requires cross-sectoral thinking and coordinated action across systems.
ENABLERS
System pathways will be explored through the lens of five interlinked enablers as catalysts:
a) Rethinking Adaptation Policies, Planning and Governance which will support transition towards changes including enhancement of institutional frameworks and capacity.
b) Fostering Innovation, Technologies and Practices that support transition towards transformation of systems such as social, economic and ecosystems, support integrated approaches to harness benefits and enhance resilience and adaptation.
c) Advancing Science, Evidence and Knowledge systems to advance the generation and use of scientific, local and indigenous knowledge to inform decisions, track progress and design adaptation pathways.
d) Strengthening Financial Systems, Financing Instruments and Modalities for Scaling up Investments that support transformational adaptation actions.
e) Enabling Social capital, Empowerment and Equity through inclusive adaptation processes to foster agency, strengthen social cohesion and uphold justice.