A brief overview of the 27th meeting of the UNFCCC Adaptation Committee (AC27)

The Adaptation Committee (AC) was established under the Cancun Adaptation Framework to support the consistent implementation of enhanced adaptation actions under both the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement. It remains the only UNFCCC constituted body that consistently addresses the full dimensions of the adaptation process in a comprehensive and integrated manner.

I had the privilege of participating in the 27th Meeting of the UNFCCC Adaptation Committee (AC27), which met from 7-9 May at the UN Campus in Bonn, Germany. Representing UNFCCC Children and Youth Constituency, the Climate Heritage Network Youth Forum, and the Preserving Legacies Heritage Adapts to Climate Alliance (HACA) initiative, I joined this high-level dialogue as an observer and to contribute perspectives on the AC’s workplan—particularly on how heritage, and the knowledge systems embedded within it, can meaningfully inform and strengthen global adaptation action.

This was more than a technical meeting for me, it was an affirmation that climate and heritage communities must work more closely together to enhance adaptation efforts.

AC27 focused on advancing key components of the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience (FGCR), improving national adaptation planning and reporting, and enhancing collaboration across the UNFCCC system and with non-state actors. This was more than a technical meeting for me, it was an affirmation that climate and heritage communities must work more closely together to enhance adaptation efforts.

This work is personal

As a Youth Climate Negotiator engaged at the intersection of climate adaptation and cultural heritage, attending AC27 was not just an institutional milestone; it was personal and deeply resonant. My journey began with grassroots climate work in Ghana, where I worked through the Alliance for Youth in Climate Change Action (AYCCA) to safeguard sacred forests and heritage landscapes from climate risks.

That work, centered on the lived realities of local communities, shaped my global advocacy as I joined the UNFCCC Children and Youth Constituency. Furthering my efforts, I became a member of the Climate Heritage Network Youth Forum during the 2024 youth COP (COY19); there, I was elected the Co-Convener of the Youth Forum for the African and Arab States.

More recently, I have also joined the HACA initiative. The inclusion of a thematic target on cultural heritage in the Global Goal on Adaptation framework (known as the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience) adopted at COP28 was a breakthrough in efforts to mainstream culture in climate policy. The Framework also identified Indigenous Knowledge and local knowledge as cross-cutting issues. HACA was formed to ensure that this potential is realised through robust, timely engagement by heritage advocates in the implementation process.

Representing HACA at AC27 allowed me not only to ensure that youth voices are heard and that heritage is integrated into international climate policy, but also to follow the ongoing negotiations and expert groups working that are developing indicators for the implementation and reporting of the  Framework’s targets, including the one on cultural heritage. 

Having seen firsthand how local communities draw on local traditional knowledge systems to manage climate shocks and preserve sacred sites—approaches often go unrecognised in formal adaptation processes—I joined AC27 as a HACA representative to help bridge that gap.

Having seen firsthand how local communities draw on local traditional knowledge systems to manage climate shocks and preserve sacred sites—approaches often go unrecognised in formal adaptation processes—I joined AC27 as a HACA representative to help bridge that gap and improve the implementation of the cultural heritage target (9(g)).

Key insights from AC27

At AC27, several key insights stood out that deeply connect to our work.

1. There is growing acknowledgement of traditional and local knowledge and Indigenous Knowledge systems in adaptation planning. The AC noted the importance of translating global frameworks into tools that can be used at the local level—something heritage practitioners and communities have long known how to do.

2. The Committee recognises the need to collaborate with external organisations (non-state actors) to strengthen its capacity-building workplans and knowledge products. This opens an exciting opportunity for HACA and Preserving Legacies to engage meaningfully with the AC by helping to develop training around adapting cultural heritage as well as contributing cultural heritage perspectives, practical tools, and community-based solutions to broader adaptation capacity-building efforts. This also presents a significant opening to engage with the AC as thought partners, especially in developing training tools and guidance briefs that reflect heritage-based adaptation approaches. The Committee is actively seeking ways to make its outputs more accessible, multilingual, and grounded in lived experience—an area where our networks can contribute meaningfully, as has been agreed through joint interventions at AC27.

3. Gender was another central theme. The AC reported that the majority of current National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) reference gender, but there’s still work to be done to embed inclusive practices across monitoring and evaluation systems. Similarly, the growing attention to Indigenous knowledge systems, community storytelling, and participatory reporting reflects a shift toward more inclusive adaptation narratives. These are values deeply aligned with HACA’s mission.

What's Next? A look ahead to SB62, COP30, and beyond

Looking ahead, the upcoming Subsidiary Body (SB62) meetings in Bonn in June and COP30 in Brazil in November represent a major opportunity to elevate the role of culture and heritage in adaptation policy. As expert working groups finalise and submit draft indicators to enhance implementation and reporting of the UAE Framework, and the 2026 Synthesis Report is prepared, CHN members are well-positioned through HACA to collaborate with the AC and its task forces. The invitation for more strategic collaboration between the AC, UNFCCC constituted bodies, and non-state actors is now open, bolstered by a commitment by the AC to non-state actors to streamline ways of engaging. This is an invitation the heritage world should accept. 

The invitation for more strategic collaboration between the AC, UNFCCC constituted bodies, and non-state actors is now open—this is an invitation the heritage world should accept.

Climate science increasingly agrees that Heritage is just not a victim of climate change, but it is an active source of resilience, identity, and relevant knowledge. The contribution of Working Group 2 to the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report and the World Heritage forests: Carbon sinks under pressure reports being just two examples. I am optimistic about the opportunity to continue this conversation, carrying this message from AC27 to SB62, COP30 and beyond.

Climate science increasingly agrees that Heritage is just not a victim of climate change, but it is an active source of resilience, identity, and relevant knowledge.