About Us
Background
Since 1992, various processes have been launched in the wake of the UNFCCC requiring the elaboration of precise documents quantifying adaptation efforts (National Communications for non-Annex I countries in the UNFCCC, National Adaptation Programmes of Action =NAPA, National Adaptation Plans -NAP , Nationally Determined Contributions -NDCs)
Special funds have also been established to finance adaptation efforts, like the entirely dedicated Adaptation Fund or the Green Climate Fund seeking to ultimately finance adaptation at equal parity with greenhouse gas emissions reduction.
To satisfactorily quantify adaptation progress for each of these documents, to evaluate the costs of adaptation needs or to measure the success or failure of adaptation intervention, appropriate Monitoring & Evaluation systems have to be designed, based on reliable adaptation metrics.
It was estimated that before 2016, Adaptation received worldwide barely 6% of global climate
finance and 17% of public climate finance, and even if these financial resources were scarce, the little that existed struggled to get mobilized.
The main reason given for the non-sufficient mobilization of finance lay in the difficulty to quantify adaptation, underlying the lack of consensus on adaptation metrics.
The Moroccan Presidency of COP 22 made thus a priority of facilitating finance for adaptation, especially in Africa, and from this perspective it organized the first international conference on adaptation metrics in Skhirate, Morocco, in 2016, which was followed by two more dedicated conferences held in Beguerir, Morocco in 2017 and 2018.
Following this conference cycle, an international brainstorming workshop was held in Salé, Morocco, on November 22, 2019, resulting in a mission statement calling for the creation of a dedicated platform on adaptation metrics.
Go to the “Events” section to find out more about these past conferences
IPAM’s launch
The “International Platform on Adaptation Metrics” (IPAM) was launched in May 2020, by four founding members, to respond to the call of the participants to the international workshop held on November 22, 2019, in Morocco, on the topic of adaptation metrics. This meeting was the last of a series of four international meetings on adaptation metrics, organized under the impetus of the Moroccan Presidency of CoP22, from 2016 to 2019 in Morocco. These meetings put together an international community of practitioners from various economic sectors, international organizations, civil society, bilateral and multilateral donors, research & development institutions, and agencies of the United Nations system.
IPAM aims to become an international reference platform for adaptation metrics, across scales and sectors, and to co-develop metrics and tools going beyond the state of the art to respond to emerging adaptation needs. IPAM seeks also to create synergies among its members to refine and advance concepts in science, governance, management, project monitoring & evaluation, communication, capacity building and climate finance.
IPAM founding members are: the AAA Initiative Foundation, the African Scientific Research and Innovation Council, The Higher Ground Foundation, and the Basque Center for Climate Change. A fifth founding member, the University Mohammed VI Polytechnics, joined IPAM on October 2020.
Since June 2022, IPAM has welcomed up to 12 other institutions from 4 continents. By January 2024, IPAM holds 16 member organizations.
IPAM governance
The Secretariat of the IPAM is hosted by the AAA Initiative Foundation, which supports the implementation of IPAM activities, coordinates and facilitates communication between IPAM Members.
Contact : Karim Anegay: ipam@aaainitiative.org, coordinator of IPAM Secretariat, at the AAA Initiative Foundation. Karim Anegay has more than 20 years of diverse field experience as a zoologist/ecologist (mangrove biodiversity in Philippines and Venezuela, protected areas in Morocco and Saudi Arabia, cactus and oasis land products valorization...). He served as a coordinator for the Scientific Committee of CoP22 in 2016-2017, and organized since then four international events (3 conferences and 1 workshop) in Morocco dedicated to Adaptation Metrics, on behalf of COP22 and GiZ.
All IPAM decisions are governed by a steering committee, which is the high-level body that provides strategic direction and priorities to achieve IPAM’s objectives. It is composed of elected representatives of up to eleven Member organizations. During the first two years of the IPAM, an interim Steering Committee was in place, composed of the founding members of IPAM.
Any legal entity, i.e. regional or international organizations, research or development institutions, funders, donors, banks and public or private entities could be invited as observers to the Steering Committee meetings upon agreement.
Since June 2022, IPAM integrated nine new member organizations summing up to fourteen member organizations of which ten are participating in the Steering Committee. The actual chair is from the Higher Ground Foundation.
The sixteen IPAM member organizations are:
The Adaptation of African Agriculture to climate change Initiative (AAA Initiative) was launched during COP22 with objective of contributing to food security in Africa in the context of climate change. It is an African Initiative in charge of coordinating the implementation of Africa's agriculture response to climate change.
The AU-ASRIC Center of Excellence in Disaster Mitigation (ADMiR) situated in Cairo, Egypt, within NRIAG National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, a distinguished institution strategically established to advance disaster mitigation and management research across Africa. Founded within the historical premises of NRIAG, dating back to 1836, ADMiR serves as a beacon of excellence, equipped with cutting-edge research facilities and a team of skilled researchers, scientists, and engineers. Committed to research excellence, innovation, and collaborative engagement, ADMiR seeks to make significant contributions to shaping Africa's disaster management landscape. Leveraging its state-of-the-art infrastructure, expertise, and networks, ADMiR is poised to play a pivotal role in safeguarding lives, protecting communities, and fostering sustainable development across the African continent.
African Scientific Research and Innovation Council (ASRIC) has been established as a specialized Technical Advisory Body to the African Union. The ASRIC promotes scientific research and innovation in order to address the challenges of Africa’s socio-economic development. It also mobilizes African research excellence and provides a platform for dialogue among African scientists and serves as a voice of the scientific community in building and sustaining continental research and innovation nexus.
Adaptation Leader is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization based in Washington, DC that seeks to advance the state of play in adaptation practice and policy through research, analysis, dialogue and convenings. Adaptation Leader focuses on i) ESG factors in the financial sector; iii) community-level resilience; and iii) nature-based solutions for adaptation and resilience.
The Africa Research and Impact Network (ARIN) undertakes multi-disciplinary research, capacity support and evidence based policy discussions that shape Africa’ transition to sustainable development. ARIN’ strategic research focus includes climate change, agri-food systems, health, disaster risk reduction, and energy. ARIN brings together 200 fellows spread across 36 African countries and diaspora.
The Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3) is an Excellence Research Centre based in the Basque Country (Spain). Created in 2008, BC3´s mission is to strategically foster co-production of knowledge relevant to decision making by integrating environmental, socioeconomic and ethical dimensions of climate change.
CABI is an international, inter-governmental, not-for-profit organization that improves people’s lives worldwide by providing information and applying scientific expertise to solve problems in agriculture and the environment. CABI's 50 Member Countries guide and influence our work which is delivered by scientific staff based in our global network of centres.
CGIAR is the world's largest independent research partnership dedicated to transforming food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis. As one of the CGIAR research centers, The Alliance of Biodiversity International and CIAT (International Center for Tropical Agriculture) works in collaboration with hundreds of partners to help developing countries make farming more competitive, profitable, and resilient through science-based solutions.
The Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) is one of India's leading think tanks, with a mission to enrich policymaking with innovative approaches using science and technology for a sustainable, secure and inclusive society. Our work is in the areas of climate, environment, sustainability, energy, AI for social impact and new materials.
The Center for Peaceful and Sustainable Futures (CEPEAS) aims to be a globally connected center of excellence for research on peace, sustainability, and their nexus. The center’s overall mission is to conduct inter- and trans-disciplinary research, outreach, and education activities that can inform policy making toward the development of more peaceful and sustainable futures. Adopting broad and comprehensive approaches to peace and sustainability and building on the international expertise available on various issues related to peace and sustainability, the center will explore multiple pathways through which peace and sustainability interact.
The Imal Initiative for Climate and Development (IICD) is the first independent non-profit North African climate think-tank -- based in Morocco, with an African, Arab, and Mediterranean perspective. The Initiative's programmatic work spans four main areas, with two core programmes, on Green Economy and on Resilience, and two cross-cutting programmes, on Diplomacy & Cooperation and on Finance & Investment.
IUAV was founded in 1926 as the Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia as one of the first Architecture schools in Italy and it developed the first Urban Planning course in Italy. The university currently offers several undergraduate, graduate and higher education courses in Architecture, Urban Planning, Fashion, Arts, and Design.
The Higher Ground Foundation (HGF) is an initiative dedicated to encouraging climate transparent and effective climate adaptation practices and investments that further support the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. It created, manages and promotes the climate Vulnerability Reduction Credit (VRC™) Standard Framework methodologies, project registrations, and certificate issuances.
UM6P is an excellence research and training center based in Morocco. The institution is oriented towards applied research and innovation, training new generation of committed leaders that will build the Africa of tomorrow. Its programs are designed to tackle the challenges of Africa such as food security, and urbanization. .
The Climate Change Competence Center of Morocco (4C Morocco) is a public interest group that brings together public and private actors from civil society and research institutions to address climate related issues in Africa and actively contribute to the national strategy for climate change adaptation and mitigation.
