Adaptation Finance Accountability Initiative (AFAI)

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The amount of international climate finance for developing countries to adapt to climate change and strengthen climate resilience has increased in recent years, particularly to meet commitments agreed in the UNFCCC negotiations to address climate change impacts. At the same time, many developing country governments are increasing their own spending on climate change adaptation and resilience, recognizing the risks that climate change already poses to their people and economies.   

But there are significant questions about the implementation of these funds: 

  • How much adaptation finance is actually available within developing countries? 
  • How is it being directed and used and by whom?
  • Is it reaching the local level? Are the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable being met and do they have a say in how the finance is used? 

To address these essential issues, Oxfam, the Overseas Development Institute, and the World Resources Institute – together with civil society groups in developing countries – have launched the Adaptation Finance Accountability Initiative (AFAI). Building on ongoing work at national, regional and global levels to monitor and strengthen accountability for adaptation finance, the initiative initially focuses on four countries in collaboration with civil society organizations there – the Zambia Climate Change Network, Clean Energy Network (Nepal), Climate Action Network Uganda, and Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (Philippines). 

AFAI Partners: 


Together we are:

  • Developing tools to enable civil society and other stakeholders to track and monitor adaptation finance flows from a multitude of sources down to the local level. 
  • Identifying institutional constraints to the effective delivery of climate finance to poor and vulnerable groups, and opportunities to empower local civil society to overcome these constraints. 
  • Supporting national and local civil society capacity to advocate for improved transparency, coherence and alignment of climate finance, and increased accountability to citizens for the use of this finance.
  • Developing opportunities for South to South learning by enabling civil society groups across a number of Asian and African countries to share insights, exchange experiences, and jointly develop advocacy strategies. 
  • Distilling lessons from piloting monitoring tools and advocacy to improve transparency and accountability in climate finance delivery
  • Influencing global efforts to mobilize and manage climate finance, including the oversight under the UNFCCC, the operationalization of the Green Climate Fund, and bilateral climate finance

Reported Adaptation Commitments and Recipients: 

These graphics are based on information collected by the Adaptation Finance Accountability Initiative and include donor reported commitments for 2010 and 2011. The graphics have been designed by Visilio Designs.

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Further reading

  1. Research

    From Tracking to Action: Promoting Social Accountability in Adaptation Finance

    Civil society has the power to make adaptation finance more transparent and accountable. The Adaptation Finance Accountability Initiative (AFAI) has developed a proven set of methods that civil society organizations can use to track the flow of adaptation funds and push their governments to direct those flows more effectively.

  2. Research

    Delivery of Adaptation Finance in Uganda: Assessing Institutions at Local Government Levels

    This study examines adaptation finance in Uganda, particluarly looking into the mechanisms and implementation approaches at the sub-national level.

  3. Research

    Adaptation Finance Accountability Initiative - Zambia Country Report

    Climate change is emerging as one of the biggest threats to Zambia’s economic and social development.

  4. Research

    Tracking adaptation finance

    An approach for civil society organizations to improve accountability for climate change adaptation

  5. Research

    Going in the right direction? Tracking adaptation finance at the subnational level

    The Adaptation Finance Accountability Initiative (AFAI) project seeks to improve accountability around adaptation finance. It does so by promoting the development and use of tracking tools, to collect evidence of where adaptation funds are going and the ease with which stakeholders can access information on adaptation projects. Both are important aspects of accountability. The aim is to help civil society organisations (CSOs) hold donors and governments to account on adaptation money being spent.

  6. Research

    Project Philippines: The Adaptation Finance Accountability Initiative

    Adaptation finance represents a significant and growing share of the total international funding flows to the Philippines. From 2009 to 2011 more than PhP 10 billion in climate adaptation tagged funding was committed for delivery to the Philippines from different international sources. But how much has been disbursed, to which sectors, using what modalities, and through which institutions? Is it reaching the local level to help the most vulnerable men and women adapt to climate change? This report takes stock of climate change adaptation finance committed to the Philippines from public sources of international finance from 2009 to 2012.

  7. Research

    Finding the Money

    A Stock Taking of climate Change Adaptation Finance and Governance in Nepal

  8. Brief

    The plumbing of adaptation finance

    Accountability, transparency, and accessibility at the local level.