(Lima, Peru, 5 December 2014) The Adaptation Fund and CDKN are pleased to announce their strategic partnership and creation of “Climate Finance Ready,” a new website that will provide an online platform for climate finance readiness.

The site will provide practitioners and others with best practices, news articles, links to resources, opportunities for sharing experiences, and more. With the Climate Finance Ready website, the Fund and CDKN aim foster ongoing dialogue and collaboration in climate finance readiness.

The partnership website is a key part of the Adaptation Fund’s Readiness Programme for Climate Finance, which helps strengthen the capacity of national and regional entities to receive and manage direct access climate financing as they adapt and build resilience to changing climate conditions in sectors ranging from agriculture and food security to coastal zones and urban areas. The Fund’s direct access modality enables national and regional entities to directly access financing and manage all aspects of climate adaptation and resilience projects, from design through implementation and monitoring.

"The Adaptation Fund’s work in pioneering a direct access modality has been a success, and has also pointed to the need for further capacity building among entities,” remarked Mamadou Honadia, Chair, Adaptation Fund Board. “We believe this website and the partnership with CDKN will create a very useful way for all to share and build upon various experiences with climate finance.”

“Web-based instruments play an important role in supporting developing country policy makers to plan for a climate compatible future,” said Ari Huhtala, Deputy CEO Policy and Programmes, CDKN. “To avoid further proliferation of portals and provide easy access to experience in climate finance readiness, CDKN has joined forces with the Adaptation Fund in building this service. We hope that such joint action will inspire other web developers to seek innovative ways of cooperation.”

The site will be discussed and some initial screen views shared at the Adaptation Fund side event at COP20 today in Lima, with the full site to be launched in the coming weeks.

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The Adaptation Fund finances projects and programmes that help vulnerable communities in developing countries adapt to the negative effects of climate change. Initiatives are based on the country needs, views and priorities. The Fund has accredited sixteen national and four regional implementing entities, and has allocated US$ 265 million to climate adaptation activities in forty-four countries.

CDKN helps support decision-makers in developing countries to design and deliver climate compatible development. It does so through technical assistance, research and knowledge-sharing. This includes building capacity and sharing experience on climate finance readiness.

Media contacts:

Cathryn Poff, Sr. Communications Officer, Adaptation Fund Secretariat, cpoff@adaptation-fund.org or +1.202.747.4786

Mairi Dupar, Global Public Affairs Co-ordinator, CDKN, m.dupar@odi.org.uk or +44 7921 088475