Rotterdam, the Netherlands, March 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Rotterdam, the Netherlands, 9 March 2026 – The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) today announced its leadership succession with H.E. President Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, 6^th President of the Republic of Mauritius, assuming the role of Chair of the Board of the GCA while H.E. Rindra Rabarinirinarison, former Minister of Economy and Finance of Madagascar, is joining the Global Center as its new CEO.

The appointments place female leadership from the Global South at the helm of the GCA as the Center celebrates 8 years of transformative efforts to promote climate adaptation. The announcement marks the beginning of a new phase for the organization as it continues to accelerate action on climate adaptation in a rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape, with a strengthened focus on Africa.

Following the submission on 2 March 2026 of the United Nations Secretary-General candidacy of H.E. Macky Sall, 4th President of the Republic of Senegal, President Sall will step down from his duties as Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Global Center on Adaptation and will continue to serve as GCA Honorary Chair. H.E. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim has been appointed as the new Chair of the GCA Supervisory Board.

After eight years of continuous service to GCA, H.E. Ban Ki-moon and Professor Patrick V. Verkooijen, the organization’s founding Chair and founding CEO, respectively, will also conclude their tenures. Professor Verkooijen’s second four-year term as Chief Executive Officer of the Center concludes in March 2026, while H.E. Ban Ki-moon will assume the role of GCA Chair Emeritus.”

H.E. President Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, incoming Chair of the GCA Board, said: “I am honored to assume the role of Chair of the Global Center on Adaptation. Amid fast-changing and challenging geopolitical realities, it is vital that we embrace the promise of climate resilience as a growth agenda, a jobs agenda and an integrated sustainable development approach.” She added “I look forward to build on the exceptional legacy of my predecessors at the Global Center on Adaptation and I extend my sincere appreciation to President Macky Sall, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and Professor Patrick Verkooijen for their leadership, stewardship, and dedication in the management and development of the Center into a key global actor and force for the promotion of climate adaptation action.”

Incoming CEO H.E. Rindra Rabarinirinarison said: “I am excited and determined to take on the challenge of managing the Global Center on Adaptation into a new era for climate adaptation action. While the Center’s scope is global, I look forward to reinforcing our core focus on Africa and to put my expertise in economic and financial stewardship to work for mobilizing broad-based adaptation measures to keep economies and people safe. Nations around the world need to budget for climate adaptation and cannot pass up the $4 trillion global market opportunity that adaptation represents.” She added “I will also be actively working with all our partners to take forward the bold new vision of AAAP 2.0 and the establishment of GCA’s new dual headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.”

H.E. Ban Ki-moon, GCA Chair Emeritus, stated: “I warmly welcome President Ameenah Gurib-Fakim as Chair of the Board and congratulate her on this significant appointment. I thank President Macky Sall and Professor Patrick Verkooijen for their steadfast commitment to climate resilience and their tireless work at the helm of the Global Center. Over the past eight years, the Global Center on Adaptation has played a decisive role in elevating adaptation to the highest political levels and strengthening the understanding that resilience is a strategic and economic imperative. I expect the GCA to continue to make substantial contributions to advancing this crucial agenda of climate adaptation in close cooperation with different organizations.”

GCA Honorary Chair H.E. President Macky Sall said: “As I step down from the GCA Board having been put forward as a candidate for the UN Secretary-General appointment, I am proud to welcome President Ameenah Gurib-Fakim as the new Chair of the Board, in addition to H.E. Rindra Rabarinirinarison as the GCA’s new CEO. I express my deep appreciation to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Professor Patrick Verkooijen for their leadership and dedication, and their immense contribution to promoting adaptation action across Africa. In my role as Honorary Chair, I remain committed to supporting the vital cause of advancing adaptation and resilience around the world.”

Founding CEO Prof. Patrick V. Verkooijen said: “It has been an honor to serve as Founding CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation alongside Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as the Founding Chair. Adaptation is more important than ever before. As the world is overshooting its climate targets, the urgency to adapt is fiercely acute. Adaptation is not only necessary but also a key opportunity for economic growth, jobs and livelihoods. In concluding my second term, I would like to also thank the Board of the Global Center, as well as our international and local partners, for their exceptional commitment to the cause and to delivering results together.”

Professor Verkooijen added that “I am especially grateful also to the hard-working and dedicated team of staff at the GCA without whom the Center’s accomplishments would not have been possible. This is an exciting new chapter for the Global Center with President Ameenah Gurib-Fakim assuming the leadership of the GCA together with H.E. Rindra Rabarinirinarison as the organization’s next CEO. Their wisdom and tested experience will be a huge asset of the Global Center and its vital mission in coming years.”

Notes to Editors

Background

H.E. Dr. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, who served as the first female President of Mauritius, is a globally respected biodiversity scientist and academic with a distinguished record in science, sustainability and international cooperation. She has previously served as Co-Chair of the United Nations High-Level Panel on Water. In 2024, she received the International Woman of the Year Award at the UK House of Commons. She has also been Professor and chair in Organic Chemistry at the University of Mauritius where she served successively as Dean of the Faculty of Science and as Pro–Vice Chancellor (2004–2010). Her appointment reflects the growing importance of linking climate adaptation with biodiversity protection, water security and sustainable economic development.

Newly appointed CEO H.E. Rindra Rabarinirinarison brings to the GCA an outstanding understanding of the financial and economic dimensions of climate adaptation and of investment mobilization approaches. As Minister of Economy and Finance of Madagascar (2021–2025) she was a laureate of the African Business Leadership Awards as the region’s leading promoter of trade and investment (2023). She also served as a Governor of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank, among other high-level appointments. Prior to her term as Minister, she was Permanent Secretary of Madagascar’s economy and finance ministry.

Since its founding, GCA has supported the integration of climate adaptation into major development investments, particularly across Africa. Working with governments and development finance institutions, the organization has helped shape more than $20 billion in projects across over 40 countries, spanning agriculture, resilient infrastructure, water systems, and further key public programs including in the domains of locally-led adaptation, health and nature-based solutions, among others.

A flagship initiative in this effort, the GCA co-managed the largest adaptation program in the world, the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP), launched by African leaders in 2021 as a partnership between the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Development Bank (AfDB), and GCA. AAAP formed part of the Action Agenda adopted at COP30 in Brazil in November 2025, while its next five-year phase — AAAP 2.0 — was a key outcome of the Africa Climate Summit II held in Addis Ababa in September 2025 as an initiative of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) as chaired by President William S. Ruto of Kenya.

Alongside the AAAP, the GCA forged technical partnerships with wide-ranging International Financial Institutions, in particular the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group, supporting climate adaptation to figure within major investments in development finance. The GCA provided advisory support on adaptation to the IMF and African governments in the roll-out of its to-date more than $7 billion Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) across multiple African nations.     

These leadership appointments follow the recent announcement of GCA’s unique dual headquarters model, with Nairobi, Kenya to serve alongside Rotterdam, the Netherlands, as the seat of the organization. As inaugurated by H.E. William S. Ruto, Hon. President of Kenya, the dual headquarters aims to anchor efforts under the next phase of Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP) within the purview of President Ruto’s presidency of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC). GCA’s new leadership will further consolidate the Global Center’s institutional presence on the African continent reflecting both Africa’s acute climate vulnerability and the importance of regional leadership in advancing global adaptation solutions.

Since 2018, GCA has been unique in hosting multiple Heads of State level summits to galvanize prioritization on climate adaptation and to advance adaptation action within the global climate and development agenda. At the last two United Nations General Assemblies, GCA convened major high-level dialogues bringing together world leaders and high representatives from more than 50 nations, reinforcing adaptation as a core pillar of international cooperation.

The GCA’s flagship knowledge initiatives included the 5-year research project, the State and Trends in Adaptation series, which delivered a major contribution to global analytics on climate adaptation together with dozens of knowledge partners. Together with GCA’s co-leadership of the Global Commission on Adaptation report, the Stories of Resilience reports focused on locally-led adaptation, its pioneering of the Resilient Economies Index – Africa, and the recently-launched ‘Adaptation Insights’ series, among others, GCA has strengthened the economic and policy case for climate resilience worldwide and promoted frontline solutions and experiences to a global audience.

Since its inception, GCA has also built the world’s largest youth movement dedicated to climate adaptation, engaging and supporting over 35,000 members across more than 100 countries to champion resilience solutions in their communities.

As GCA marks eight years since its founding, these governance transitions reaffirm its mandate to accelerate adaptation action, strengthen and support African leadership on adaptation and to ensure that climate resilience remains central to global development priorities.

GLOBENEWSWIRE (Distribution ID 9667971)

Paris, Feb. 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — France today confirmed support to the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP) 2.0, Africa’s flagship, African-owned and African-led climate adaptation initiative. This expression of support is part of the momentum generating efforts towards the February 2026 AU Summit and the May 2026 Africa-France Summit, co-convened by HE Emmanuel Macron, President of France, and HE William S. Ruto, President of Kenya and CAHOSCC Chair.

H.E. William Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Chair of CAHOSCC, said:

“France has answered Africa’s call to support our flagship regional adaptation investment program, advanced under the leadership of African Heads of State and Government. I commend President Emmanuel Macron and the Government of France for this leadership and call on all AAAP partners to follow suit by taking urgent steps to concretize their support for AAAP 2.0 and its Upstream Financing Facility. Given the scale and urgency of climate risks facing Africa and the world, decisive action on adaptation is needed now.”

H.E. Macky Sall, Chair of the GCA Supervisory Board and 4^th President of Senegal, said:

“We warmly thank President Macron for France’s continued strong leadership and partnership with Africa on climate adaptation. AAAP 2.0 is focused on promoting inclusive and community-led adaptation efforts, unlocking private adaptation finance and markets, and strengthening the capacity of key African institutions to deliver climate resilience at scale. We also welcome the French Minister for Ecological Transition, H.E. Monique Barbut, whose participation on the GCA Board will further strengthen the partnership underpinning AAAP 2.0.”

The French Minister for Ecological transition, H.E. Monique Barbut welcomed the announcement, stating:

“France is pleased to support Africa’s own ambitious initiative on climate adaptation. AAAP 2.0 reflects Africa’s ambition to transform from the most climate-vulnerable continent into the most climate-resilient. France stands alongside Africa in helping turn this ambition into concrete action.”

AAAP was launched by African Leaders in 2021 as the region’s leading investment initiative on climate adaptation and was implemented through a partnership of the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank and the GCA. Its first phase concluded in 2025, embedding climate adaptation solutions into more than $20 billion of critical development investments across some 40 African nations. France has been a longstanding supporter of AAAP, including through its €10 million contribution to the program’s first phase.

AAAP 2.0 was launched by African Leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September 2025, following the Africa Climate Summit II in Addis Ababa. AAAP 2.0 is advanced under the auspices of the presidency of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) and serves as the continent’s primary platform for scaling climate adaptation action for the period 2026 to 2030.

Notes to Editors

About the Global Center on Adaptation

The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is an international organization that promotes adaptation to the impacts of climate change. It works to climate-proof development by instigating policy reforms and influencing investments made by international financial institutions and the private sector. The goal is to bring climate adaptation to the forefront of the global fight against climate change and ensure that it remains prominent. Founded in 2018, GCA is the first international organization to maintain dual headquarters in both the Global North in Rotterdam and in the Global South in Nairobi – underscoring the equal partnership between regions and the conviction that climate adaptation solutions must be co-designed and co-owned. Its regional hubs in Abidjan, Dhaka and Beijing, leverage local expertise to pilot and scale context-specific approaches. Together, these centers ensure a continuous, two-way exchange of knowledge and best practices that empower communities and drive resilient and inclusive growth worldwide.

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• France Reaffirms Support to Africa’s Flagship Climate Adaptation Program AAAP 2.0

GLOBENEWSWIRE (Distribution ID 9654522)

Rotterdam, Netherlands, Oct. 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

• Momentum for economic resilience: New GCA report shows Africa’s economies demonstrating path–breaking climate readiness, with 10 nations leading in policy and performance.
• Debt pressure mounts: Index finds that overreliance on loans—62% of adaptation finance—threatens to stall resilience progress, limiting urgent finance mobilization scale–up on adaptation.
• Key steps forward: The need to strengthen policies to attract finance, integrate adaptation into growth, unlock private capital, and accelerate efforts to climate–proof agriculture and infrastructure highlighted.

The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) published a comprehensive stock–take on the level of resilience of African economies to climate risks, published in the new Resilient Economies Index – Africa issued today. While Africa remains the world’s most climate–vulnerable continent, the Index shows that an average of 87.1% of economic activity across the continent is already resilient to climate risks (2025–2050), underscoring a powerful, often overlooked reality: adaptation is taking root at scale.

The Index assesses 54 African countries across three pillars—Economy, Policy and Finance—to create a comprehensive picture of national and regional resilience and introduces a new metric, Gross Resilient Product (GRP), which estimates the share of GDP not exposed to climate shocks. In this first edition, the best performers have already reduced GDP exposure to roughly 5%—a GRP of about 95%—providing a concrete benchmark for what “best in class” looks like as countries seek to de–risk growth. Ten African economies have achieved the highest assessed resilience performance, classified as “pioneering,” while another ten economies across all sub–regions of the continent—including Central, East, North, West, Southern Africa, and small island states—are assessed at the entry–level “foundational” stage. The top performers include Burundi, Kenya, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and Uganda in Tier 1, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi, Nigeria, and Tanzania in Tier 2.

“This Index shows that Africa is leading in building resilient economies, even while standing at the frontline of the climate crisis,” said H.E. Macky Sall, Chair of the GCA Board and 4th President of Senegal. “From Nairobi to Freetown to Maputo, from Kampala to Bujumbura, governments are grounding Africa’s response to climate change in policies shaped with communities, farmers, and youth at the center. But resilience should not come at the cost of debt. Africa needs fair partnerships that unlock private investment and ensure that those who contribute least to the crisis are not left to shoulder its cost alone.”

“Resilience is Africa’s new growth story. Indeed, this Index shows that African economies investing in adaptation are already earning resilience dividends,” said Professor Patrick V. Verkooijen, President and CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation. “The top performers are cutting climate losses and proving that bold, forward–looking policies work. The next step is clear: build strong policies that attract finance, fully embed adaptation in development and partner internationally to manage debt smartly while unlocking private investment at scale. By diversifying economies, strengthening climate–resilient agriculture, climate–proofing infrastructure and optimizing trade, Africa can transform resilience into its next engine of growth.”

Across the continent, GRP tends to rise with income and diversification, a pattern visible in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana performing at pioneering/robust levels on the GRP indicator, where broader economic structures and infrastructure standards help lift overall resilience scores. Conversely, exposure rises when economies are heavily concentrated in climate–sensitive sectors: Niger’s lower GRP performance is tied to structural factors—~33.8% of GDP and ~70.6% of employment in agriculture—showing why economic structure matters for resilience outcomes.

The Index also reveals that Africa’s growing adaptation ambition is colliding with fiscal reality. The Index shows that 62 percent of adaptation finance in Africa comes in the form of debt, a burden that limits fiscal space even for top performers like Kenya. This overreliance on borrowing is creating what the report calls a “debt wall,” where rising interest obligations and limited non–debt finance crowd out the very investments needed to build resilience. As a result, even strong policy performers—such as Kenya, Ethiopia and Ghana—struggle to translate adaptation plans into adequately financed action. The Index warns that without a major shift toward non–debt financing, concessional loans and influxes of private capital, Africa risks funding its resilience through mechanisms that ultimately undermine it. Closing this gap will require flexibility and innovative partnerships with multilateral institutions and private investors to restructure liabilities, expand guarantees and unlock affordable capital for climate adaptation at scale.

Vulnerability across the continent remains real and the Index is candid about the stakes. Thirty–one African economies face loss exposure at or above 10% of GDP between now and 2050 and 32 countries have more than 10% of physical assets at risk, while 44 economies grapple with one of these two critical economic risk thresholds.  Countries with extensive infrastructure—such as Egypt, South Africa and Morocco—are particularly at risk showing the urgent need to climate–proof the continent’s infrastructure boom so that roads, ports, energy and housing become resilience dividends rather than liabilities. The report warns that Africa’s infrastructure, while vital for growth, could become a liability unless resilience is embedded into each stage of design, construction and financing. Building codes, procurement systems and public–private partnerships all need to integrate climate–smart standards to ensure that today’s investments do not become tomorrow’s stranded assets. Yet even against this backdrop, African economies are already overwhelmingly resilient and getting stronger.

The Resilient Economies Index – Africa also finds that countries are advancing rapidly on policy and planning, but finance is lagging far behind. Forty countries score above 50 percent on the policy pillar of the new Index, reflecting stronger national adaptation frameworks, clearer priorities and progress on inclusiveness. Governments across the continent are increasingly consulting local communities, vulnerable groups and civil society when shaping national plans, and many are embedding actions that directly target those groups. Countries such as Ethiopia, Mozambique and Uganda, which have endured repeated disasters, are leading on adaptation policy and investment—demonstrating how hard–earned experience can drive institutional learning and resilience building.

However, only fourteen countries reach the same threshold in the index’s assessment on finance as for policy—revealing a widening gap between policy ambition and implementation. The Index estimates that current mobilization levels sit roughly two–thirds to three–quarters below what is needed for countries to reach their full resilience potential. To close the gap, every African economy would need to mobilize at the pace of today’s top performer—around US$1.45 billion per year—compared with an average of US$340 million per year across the continent. Even the leading mobilizers are still undershooting needs by 30% to as much as 230%, depending on the benchmark used.

Private capital remains largely untapped, accounting for just 3.7% of adaptation finance, and only 11 countries exceed a 5% private share—well below levels seen in South and East Asia and the Pacific, where private participation reaches 37–39%.

Kenya emerges as one of the few economies with cross–pillar strength per this index assessment—economic resilience, robust policy, and comparatively stronger finance mobilization—while countries such as Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Uganda illustrate how repeated exposure to climate shocks has driven policy innovation and faster financial mobilization. Higher–income economies like Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, Namibia and Botswana benefit from diversification and higher GRP, but face elevated asset exposure due to denser infrastructure—making the case for resilience standards to be embedded across all new capex.

The Resilient Economies Index Africa outlines a clear agenda for accelerating climate resilience across the continent’s economies. It calls on governments to strengthen policy frameworks with country–by–country guidance contained in the Index assessment, noting that countries with the strongest adaptation policies attract greater levels of resilient finance. The report urges the integration of resilience into national development planning, ensuring that adaptation becomes a core driver of economic growth rather than a parallel effort. It emphasizes the need for all actors to support African economies to optimize the use of debt in adaptation finance and crowd–in private investment, which currently represents only a small share of total adaptation funding. To sustain long–term resilience, the report recommends diversifying economies and strengthening resilience of the agricultural sector, embedding climate resilience into Africa’s rapid infrastructure development, and reducing trade–related climate risks including by investing in domestic production of climate–sensitive goods such as food, water, and electricity production. Together, these measures form a roadmap for scaling the continent’s economic resilience.

Notes to Editors

About the Resilient Economies Index Africa

The Resilient Economies Index – Africa is the first continent–wide assessment of how African countries are exposed to, prepared for, and financing adaptation to climate risk. Drawing on more than 80 indicators and introducing the concept of Gross Resilient Product (GRP) a counterfactual GDP pathway without climate change to one reflecting expected impacts; the difference is the exposure and the remainder is the portion of national output protected by resilience. The Index translates complex data into practical insights for governments, investors, and development partners to target resources where they deliver the greatest resilience gains.

The Index evaluates 54 countries across three pillars. The Economy pillar measures GRP, the resilience of physical assets, and the structure of trade in climate–sensitive goods such as food, water, and energy. The Policy pillar reviews national adaptation plans and strategies, with a focus on inclusiveness, coordination, data systems, and accountability. The Finance pillar examines both the volume and quality of climate finance—debt sustainability and concessionality, private–sector participation, and alignment with nationally articulated needs.

Each country is placed in one of five categories—Foundational, Emerging, Consolidating, Robust, or Pioneering—with upper and lower tiers to reflect different stages of progress. This year ten economies achieved the highest Pioneering rating: Tier 1—Burundi, Kenya, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Uganda; Tier 2—Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania. Their performance shows how ambition, inclusive policy design, and pragmatic financing convert vulnerability into resilience. For example, Uganda has integrated adaptation into core budgets; Kenya has paired climate legislation with dedicated funds and delivery pathways; Mozambique has institutionalized community–based resilience and early–warning systems despite recurrent cyclones; and Ethiopia has embedded climate–smart development in long–term planning.

The Index was developed by the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) under the leadership of Matthew McKinnon, Vice–President for External Affairs and Policy, as Project Director, and Selamawit Desta Wubet, Global Lead for Climate Diplomacy, as Project Co–Director. The project was delivered by a dedicated research team of over a dozen experts in climate economics, policy, and finance. External modeling was led by Andrea Bassi (KnowlEdge).

The Advisory Committee, chaired by Professor Jamal Saghir, Senior Advisor to the CEO and President of GCA, brought together eminent economists and policy experts from across leading global institutions—including the World Bank, UNFCCC, UNCTAD, WMO, GGGI, IIED, Alliance of Bioversity–CIAT, and the African Development Bank—ensuring the Index’s methodological rigor, policy relevance, and alignment with international adaptation and development priorities.

About the Global Center on Adaptation
The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is an international organization that promotes adaptation to the impacts of climate change. It works to climate–proof development by instigating policy reforms and influencing investments made by international financial institutions and the private sector. The goal is to bring climate adaptation to the forefront of the global fight against climate change and ensure that it remains prominent. Founded in 2018, GCA is the first international organization to maintain dual headquarters in both the Global North in Rotterdam and in the Global South in Nairobi – underscoring the equal partnership between regions and the conviction that climate adaptation solutions must be co–designed and co–owned. Its regional hubs in Abidjan, Dhaka and Beijing, leverage local expertise to pilot and scale context–specific approaches. Together, these centers ensure a continuous, two–way exchange of knowledge and best practices that empower communities and drive resilient and inclusive growth worldwide.

GLOBENEWSWIRE (Distribution ID 9546739)

Rotterdam, Oct. 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, celebrations are commencing worldwide for the second annual Youth Climate Adaptation Action Day (12th October), an initiative launched by the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA). From GCA’s Floating Office in Rotterdam to communities across more than 100 countries, young people will come together to consult on their nations’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs)—ensuring youth voices influence the frontlines of climate policy. 

Launched in 2024, the Youth Climate Adaptation Action Day has quickly become the largest recurring global event dedicated to youth and climate resilience. Each year, it showcases and supports the critical role young people play in driving both local action and international policy responses to the escalating impacts of climate change. 

Youth Consultations on NDCs and NAPs 
This year, GCA is calling on youth–led organizations, student groups, and grassroots movements to hold consultations around the theme: “NDCs, NAPs, Youth, and Adaptation.” These dialogues will highlight the unique contributions of young people in building resilient economies and advancing national climate commitments. 

To support this global mobilization, GCA has developed a Guide to Organizing Youth Consultations on NDCs and NAPs helping participants structure discussions and channel their recommendations into concrete policy proposals. 

Global Launch Event 
The 2025 Action Day will be launched with a Global Virtual Consultation on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and Youth. connecting youth leaders, policymakers, and partners from over 50 countries across Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. This worldwide dialogue will strengthen youth–driven recommendations and foster cross–regional collaboration on adaptation priorities. 

Strengthening the African Youth Adaptation Network 
This year also marks the expansion of the Youth Adaptation Network (YAN) across Africa. Originally launched in 2020 as part of the Global Youth Call to Action on Adaptation, YAN now unites thousands of young leaders advancing climate adaptation at local and national levels. 

In 2025 alone, YAN grew by 20,000 members through an open call for In–Country Focal Points. From more than 460 applicants, youth representatives from 46 African countries were chosen through a public vote. Together, they are strengthening pan–African ties, sharing good practices, and translating knowledge into action on the ground. 

Professor Patrick V. Verkooijen, President and CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation noted that “Young people are not waiting for permission to lead; they are already designing and delivering the solutions communities need. This year, GCA is supporting youth–led organizations with small grants to accelerate locally driven adaptation—from climate–smart agriculture to resilient urban planning. Just as importantly, we are building the capacity of regional youth organizations to disburse these small grants themselves, creating a sustainable, scalable pipeline of youth–led projects across Africa and beyond. This is how we move from inspiration to implementation—by trusting youth leadership, resourcing it, and embedding it in national adaptation priorities.” 

The Road to COP30 in Belém, Brazil 
The outcomes of all youth consultations held on Action Day will be consolidated by GCA into the largest simultaneous youth consultation on adaptation policy to date. This global youth report will be presented to governments and international leaders at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, ensuring that the priorities of young people are embedded in the next phase of global climate negotiations. 

To maximize impact, participating youth and partner organizations are encouraged to share their activities widely on social media and public platforms under the banner of Youth Climate Adaptation Action Day 2025. Together, their collective voices will help drive forward urgent adaptation action worldwide. 

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Rotterdam, Oct. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) today launched State and Trends in Adaptation 2025: Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the most comprehensive assessment to date of climate risks, macro–economic impacts and practical solutions for the world’s 39 island economies. The report shows that, without accelerated adaptation, cumulative climate damages across SIDS could reach as high as US$476 billion by 2050—equivalent to several years of national output in some countries—yet current international public adaptation finance to SIDS averages just over US$2 billion a year, or 0.2% of global climate finance. GCA calls for a step–change to at least US$12 billion annually, a level SIDS themselves identify in their National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), noting this represents only around 1.2% of global climate finance and about 4% of global Overseas Development Assistance (ODA). 

The report distils practical, scalable lessons from Africa’s adaptation experience that other SIDS and coastal nations worldwide can adapt and adopt—drawing on work with African small island states and the African Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP).

Launching the report, H.E. Hilda Heine, President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, said: “We face rising seas, threats to food and water security, and we are running out of time. Adaptation remains our most urgent priority. It is our first line of defence. Today, I am therefore honored to join you to launch the new GCA State and Trends in Adaptation Report on Small Island Developing States. Its findings are sobering.” She added: “What SIDS actually need is modest, particularly when you compare it to the cost of inaction. Still, we make up just a fraction of global flows. The barriers are clear. Climate finance mechanisms were not designed with SIDS in mind. Long processes, eligibility rules, and risk standards
exclude us. We are left locked out of the very support we most need. But the report also brings hope: Adaptation in SIDS is highly cost–effective.”

Macky Sall, 4th President of Senegal and Honorary Chair of the Global Center on Adaptation, said: “Small island nations, whether in Africa, Asia–Pacific or the Caribbean, have done nothing to cause climate change but face far outsized impacts. This report is a call to conscience and to common sense. SIDS need roughly US$12 billion a year to adapt the growing impacts of climate change —financing that is achievable if we match ambition with solidarity. Shifting from loans to grants, widening access to concessional windows, and deploying innovative instruments like debt–for–resilience swaps and blue and green bonds can turn vulnerability into resilience and growth.”

The analysis confirms adaptation is a high–return investment. Across modeled economies, each dollar invested can yield up to US$6.50 in avoided damages and new growth, with feasible investment programs cutting climate damages by more than half by mid–century. Benefits are particularly strong for distributed clean energy, resilient transport links, climate–smart agriculture and water–system efficiency, all of which reduce economic losses, lower import bills and improve health and productivity.

Professor Patrick V. Verkooijen, President and CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation, said: “Small islands should be a first line of defense against the climate crisis, not a point of failure. Adaptation is the best value proposition in climate action today. The numbers are unequivocal: invest now and unlock resilience dividends in every sector—energy systems that keep the lights on after cyclones, ports and roads that remain open for trade, water networks that waste less and serve more, and food systems that withstand heat and drought. This report provides a practical roadmap for SIDS and for partners ready to finance solutions at speed and scale. It is also a call to scale up support for this highly vulnerable group of nations that is nevertheless prepared to act.”

The report finds 44% of public international adaptation finance to SIDS arrives as debt, exacerbating already strained balance sheets; nearly two–thirds of tracked flows originate from multilateral development finance institutions, while grants from bilateral donors and climate funds remain far below potential. Funding is highly concentrated too: just ten SIDS receive 67% of tracked adaptation finance, with no significant correlation to climate vulnerability. GCA urges a re–balancing toward grant–based, vulnerability–aware allocations and faster, simpler access.

In a joint statement, Jamal Saghir and Ede Ijjasz–Vásquez, Co–Directors of the Report, said: “The SIDS finance gap is small in global terms but existential for island economies. The priorities are clear: close the grant deficit; mainstream adaptation into national budgets; scale de–risking and blended finance to crowd in private capital; and relieve debt burdens through instruments that exchange fiscal space for resilience outcomes. With these steps, SIDS can convert risk into investment and opportunity.”

Beyond finance, the report sets out a concrete agenda to hard–wire resilience into the blue and real economies. Tourism and fisheries—cornerstones of SIDS prosperity—are threatened by coastal erosion, coral bleaching and extreme weather. Nature–based solutions such as mangrove and reef restoration protect shorelines, cut disaster losses and support livelihoods, with geospatial “opportunity scans” in Fiji alone identifying tens of thousands of hectares where restoration could reduce flood damage by over US$47 million annually by 2050, delivering benefits more than five times costs.

Systems that save lives and safeguard growth must also be scaled. Only 39% of SIDS report multi–hazard early–warning systems, and basic weather and climate observations remain critically under–resourced—less than 10% of required surface observations are shared globally. The report highlights the UN’s Early Warnings for All initiative and the Systematic Observations Financing Facility as immediate pathways to close these gaps and strengthen climate services across agriculture, water, health and disaster management.

Governance readiness is advancing but uneven. All SIDS have submitted NDCs and around 60% now have a “good or better” enabling environment for adaptation investments, yet many have not fully costed sectoral needs, and monitoring and evaluation systems remain under–developed. The report urges a “community–to–cabinet” approach that elevates local knowledge, strengthens institutions and integrates adaptation across transport, energy, water and food systems.

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Lusaka, Zambia & Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Sept. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) has welcomed Hakainde Hichilema, President of the Republic of Zambia, to its Advisory Board. In this role, President Hichilema will lend his deep expertise in governance, sustainable development, food security and climate resilience to guide GCA’s strategic priorities across Africa and beyond.

President Hichilema brings to the GCA Advisory Board a proven track record of economic reform, poverty reduction, and championing climate–smart agriculture in Zambia. His leadership has prioritized renewable energy deployment, watershed management, and inclusive policy frameworks that build resilience at the grassroots level.

“Climate change poses an existential threat to our nations, especially in Africa, where communities are on the front lines of both drought and flood,” said President Hakainde Hichilema. “I am proud to join the Global Center on Adaptation’s Advisory Board at this pivotal moment. Together, we will work to mobilize the innovation, finance, and political will needed to scale resilience solutions—so that no community is left behind in the face of a changing climate.”

His Excellency Macky Sall, Chair of the Global Center on Adaptation and Fourth President of Senegal, added: “President Hichilema’s appointment strengthens GCA’s leadership at a time when Africa is both most exposed to climate risks and most determined to lead on adaptation. His voice will bring critical perspective and momentum as we work to accelerate progress on the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program and build bridges between nations, institutions, and sectors to deliver real resilience on the ground.”

Professor Patrick V. Verkooijen, President and CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation, welcomed the appointment: “We are delighted that President Hichilema has agreed to join our Advisory Board. His dedication to sustainable growth and his hands–on experience in mobilizing climate adaptation strategies in Zambia will be invaluable as GCA expands its work to support vulnerable communities worldwide. His insights will help shape our efforts to drive action–oriented solutions—bridging policy, finance, and innovation—to build a more resilient future for all.”

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Rotterdam, Netherlands / Bissau, Guinea–Bissau, Sept. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is pleased to welcome His Excellency Umaro Sissoco Embaló, President of the Republic of Guinea–Bissau, to its Advisory Board. President Embaló joins an eminent group of leaders, experts, and changemakers committed to advancing climate resilience and adaptation solutions worldwide.

“As communities from the Bijagós Archipelago to the Sahel face rising climate risks, President Embaló brings invaluable experience and resolve. His service will help the GCA deepen partnerships, accelerate adaptation finance, and deliver protection for those on the front lines,” said H.E. Ban Ki–moon, Honorary Chair of the Global Center on Adaptation and 8th Secretary–General of the United Nations.

“I warmly welcome President Embaló to our Advisory Board. West Africa is already confronting coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion, and climate shocks. His practical leadership will strengthen our work to scale solutions across the region and crowd in the investment needed for resilient growth,” said H.E. Macky Sall, Chair of the Board of the Global Center on Adaptation and 4thPresident of Senegal.

“As we confront the escalating impacts of climate change, it is imperative that nations work together to secure a sustainable future,” said Professor Patrick Verkooijen, President and CEO of GCA. “President Embaló’s visionary leadership and deep understanding of the vulnerabilities facing small and low–lying states will be invaluable as we drive forward our mission to deliver transformative adaptation solutions.”

Guinea–Bissau, one of the world’s most climate–vulnerable countries, has seen rising sea levels, increasingly erratic rainfall, and coastal erosion threaten communities, ecosystems, and food security. Under President Embaló’s guidance, the nation has launched ambitious initiatives to strengthen coastal defenses, promote climate–smart agriculture and build community–level resilience.

Expressing his commitment to the GCA’s work, President Umaro Sissoco Embaló stated: “I am deeply honored to join the GCA Advisory Board at this critical moment for our planet. Guinea–Bissau’s people have shown extraordinary resilience in the face of floods, droughts, and erosion. By working alongside GCA’s global network, we will accelerate efforts to safeguard vulnerable communities, harness innovative adaptation finance, and ensure that no one is left behind in our collective pursuit of climate security.”

As an Advisory Board member, President Embaló will counsel GCA on strategic priorities in West Africa, help foster public–private partnerships, and advocate for inclusive adaptation policies at regional and international forums.

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Rotterdam, July 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) today announces four strategic senior appointments, reinforcing its leadership team as it scales its global adaptation agenda. His Excellency Macky Sall, Chair of GCA’s Supervisory Board, and Professor Patrick V. Verkooijen, GCA President and CEO, welcome:

• Matthew McKinnon, Vice President, External Affairs and Policy
  Leads GCA’s policy, advocacy, external relations and partnership activities.
• Edward Mharadzira, Vice President, Finance and Operations
  Oversees administration, finance, operations and donor compliance.
• Dr. Purvi Mehta, Senior Advisor, Partnerships (AAAP)
  Shapes the transition of the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program into its second phase (2026–2030).
• Kristina Tanso, Development Director
  Heads institutional fundraising and strategic resourcing to ensure GCA’s sustainable growth.

“These appointments reflect GCA’s growing role on the world stage,” said H.E. Macky Sall. “I warmly welcome this strengthened leadership team, which brings the experience, diversity and vision needed to accelerate adaptation where efforts where they are needed most.”

“As we scale our impact and deepen partnerships, this expanded leadership brings vital expertise to advance GCA’s mission,” added Professor Verkooijen. “I look forward to working closely with our new colleagues to drive innovation, scale finance and impact in adaptation worldwide.”

Senior Leadership Profiles

Matthew McKinnon (New Zealand)
Matthew McKinnon brings over 20 years of international experience including at the United Nations (UNDP, UNICEF, UN Secretariat) and as advisor to 7^th UN Secretary–General Kofi Annan (2007–2010). He served as founding head of the secretariat of the Climate Vulnerable Forum and V20 (2010–2023) leading its successful spearheading of calls to enshrine a 1.5°C goal in the Paris Agreement, and advising government delegations from Africa, Asia, America and the Pacific in the UN climate negotiations. He has also edited several global assessments on the impact of climate change and chairs the Advisory Board of MSC Foundation.

Edward Mharadzira (Zimbabwe)
Edward Mharadzirwa brings an extensive background in financial management and deep knowledge of GCA work, backed by over 18 years of senior experience in global development organizations, both in the field and at headquarters. With a strong foundation in leading financial strategy, internal controls, risk mitigation, and donor compliance, Edward Mharadzirwa has played a key role in strengthening financial governance at GCA through his prior role as Senior Director of Finance and Operations.

Dr. Purvi Mehta (India)
Purvi Mehta joins the GCA as a senior advisor with over 27 years of experience in agriculture, climate adaptation, and development partnerships across Asia and Africa. She previously served as Senior Advisor and Asia Director at the Gates Foundation, leading global initiatives in climate adaptation and scaling innovation and as a regional program coordinator at CGIAR. She is also Adjunct Professor at Cornell University and serves on a number of global boards and advisory panels including the World Food Prize, MIT’s JWAS Global Climate and Food Alliance and Advanta.

Kristina Tanso (United Kingdom)
Ms. Tanso joins GCA from the University of Oxford Medical Sciences Division, where she has served as Senior Development Advisor for Pediatrics and Rare Diseases, expanding the Department's private and public philanthropic portfolio internationally. With over 12 years of experience leading strategic development activities for organizations including the Nature Conservancy, Teach for All and Room to Read, she is also Adjunct Professor on Development at the University of Hong Kong.

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