CTI PFAN launches Adaptation Initiative

Dear CTI PFAN Network Members and Colleagues,

2010 saw CTI PFAN achieve scale with over 110 projects now in the development pipeline, representing a total investment of some USD 2,3 billion and just under USD 300 million already having been raised for clean energy projects in developing countries, including in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Of course this work will be continued and further expanded and furthermore from March 2011 CTI PFAN will be launching activities to establish whether its successful methodology for Mitigation Projects can also be used to raise investment and financing for Adaptation Projects.

It is generally accepted that developing countries are especially vulnerable to both the impact of global warming and also the ability to respond to it. Given the constraints on the availability of public sector financing to address these challenges it is clear that private sector financing needs to play a role also in Adaptation. It is currently less clear exactly what that role is and how it can be structured to the benefit of all stakeholders. Working with real projects and using its tried and tested bottom up approach this is exactly what the new CTI PFAN adaptation work will seek to address.

The main objective of the process is to establish a CTI PFAN network and activity stream dedicated to connecting private sector investment and financing to Adaptation Projects in developing countries.

To this end the main work programme activities will include:

• Drafting of a Position Paper, outlining the issues and identifying and investigating potential case studies and test projects; initial drafts of this paper are expected to be ready for circulation by late April / May;
• A Workshop (currently scheduled for late July / August 2011), convening key stakeholders from the public and private sector, project developers and investors to identify and address key issues and work towards solutions and potential financing structures for establishment of the network;
• Identification of key Resource Partners and potential Network Members to work with CTI PFAN on establishing the CTI PFAN Adaptation Network;
• Project Identification, Development & Implementation of Adaptation Projects as case studies to help develop, refine and prove the CTI PFAN adaptation methodology: for those entrepreneurs and businesses selected, CTI PFAN will provide free guidance on feasibility, project structure, investment and financing, preparation of the business plan and introductions to potential investors from its global and regional networks of investors.

Please contact us if you and / or your organisation are already working on adaptation related issues and you would like to be involved in any way in the above programme of work.

We are also interested in receiving Project Proposals from project developers or other sources for possible inclusion in our test case studies and receipt of CTI PFAN services. All adaptation project proposals must have the explicit objective of assisting developing countries to reduce the vulnerability of human or natural systems to the impacts of climate change and climate-related risks.

• Projects on integration of adaptation strategies into programs in energy, water, agriculture and insurance (E.g., increasing water storage to deal with increased variability in water supply; meeting critical infrastructure needs that contribute to risk reduction; developing early warning systems; adapting energy generation and distribution systems, distributing drought-resistant seeds to deal with reduced rainfall);
• Investments in scientific capacity, improved climate information and predictions and diffusion of information, and evidence-based analysis to identify vulnerable sectors, populations, and regions.

In the first instance this programme of work will concentrate on projects and participants from sub-Saharan Africa.

Please contact Lynne Byaba at the coordinates below for all further information.

CTI PFAN is a multilateral public private partnership, initiated by the Climate Technology Initiative (www.climatetech.net) which nurtures promising clean energy projects, provides free support and advice on the preparation of economically viable and environmentally sustainable business plans and connects the selected projects with investment from its global network.