Global Framework

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted in 1992 to support the global response to the threat of climate change. The Convention has near universal membership with 197 Parties.The ultimate objective of  the Convention is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system, in a time frame which allows ecosystems to adapt naturally and enables sustainable development.

The Convention acknowledges the vulnerability of all countries to the effects of climate change and calls for special efforts to ease the consequences, especially in developing countries which lack the resources to do so on their own. In the early years of the Convention, adaptation received less attention than mitigation, as Parties wanted more certainty on impacts of and vulnerability to climate change. When IPCC's Third Assessment Report was released, adaptation gained traction, and Parties agreed on a process to address adverse effects and to establish funding arrangements for adaptation. Currently, work on adaptation takes place under different Convention bodies.

For further information, please visit:
https://unfccc.int/
https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-convention/what-is-the-united-nations-framework-convention-on-climate-change
https://unfccc.int/topics/adaptation-and-resilience/the-big-picture/what-do-adaptation-to-climate-change-and-climate-resilience-mean

The Kyoto Protocol was adopted on 11 December 1997. Owing to a complex ratification process, it entered into force on 16 February 2005. Currently, there are 192 Parties to the Kyoto Protocol.

The Kyoto Protocol operationalizes the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change by committing industrialized countries and economies in transition to limit and reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions in accordance with agreed individual targets. The Convention itself only asks those countries to adopt policies and measures on mitigation and to report periodically.

For further information, please visit:
https://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol

The Paris Agreement builds upon the Convention and for the first time brings all nations into a common cause to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects, with enhanced support to assist developing countries to do so. As such, it charts a new course in the global climate effort.

The Paris Agreement central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The Agreement requires all Parties, as appropriate, to engage in adaptation planning and implementation through e.g. national adaptation plans, vulnerability assessments, monitoring and evaluation, and economic diversification. All Parties should, as appropriate, communicate their priorities, plans, actions, and support needs through adaptation communications, which shall be recorded in a public registry.

For further information, please visit:
https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement
https://unfccc.int/topics/adaptation-and-resilience/the-big-picture/new-elements-and-dimensions-of-adaptation-under-the-paris-agreement-article-7

The Framework was adopted at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan, on March 18, 2015. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 outlines seven clear targets and four priorities for action to prevent new and reduce existing disaster risks: (i) Understanding disaster risk; (ii) Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk; (iii) Investing in disaster reduction for resilience and; (iv) Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response, and to "Build Back Better" in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction.

Domestically, responsibilities for climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR) tend to be spread across different institutions and stakeholders; internationally, they are supported by separate UN agencies and related processes. The different approaches and mechanisms inevitably result in overlaps and gaps.

Countries are increasingly recognising the benefits of increased coherence in CCA and DRR, exemplified by the number of countries that either have developed joint strategies or put in place processes that facilitate co-ordination across the two policy areas. For increased coherence, certain enabling factors must be in place, including strong leadership and engagement of key government bodies, broad stakeholder participation and co-ordination, clear allocation of roles, responsibilities and resources, and monitoring, evaluation and continuous learning. This can help identify trade-offs (e.g. growing need for public support to post-disaster responses in the absence of a focus on CCA) and synergies (e.g. a more comprehensive assessment of interlinked climate and disaster risks), while minimising redundancies in delivery.

For further information, please visit:
https://www.undrr.org/publication/sendai-framework-disaster-risk-reduction-2015-2030
https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/3edc8d09-en/index.html?itemId=/content/publication/3edc8d09-en

This Agenda is a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity. It also seeks to strengthen universal peace in larger freedom.

For further information, please visit:
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld
https://www.tr.undp.org/content/turkey/en/home/sustainable-development-goals.html

The New Urban Agenda was adopted at the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) in Quito, Ecuador, on 20 October 2016.

New Urban Agenda, considered to be the final document of HABITAT III (including “Quito Declaration for Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements for Everyone”) and Quito Implementation Plan for New Urban Agenda have addressed significantly combating climate change at planning, management and implementation phases in human settlements for sustainable and durable developments especially from an environmental point of view.

New Urban Agenda is promoted by the MoEU in Turkey and aims to promote best practices for planning and managing cities to promote sustainable urbanisation. Covering the topics of urban demography, land and urban planning, environment and urbanization, urban governance and legislation, urban economy, and housing and basic services, Turkey Habitat III National Report that separately elaborates on climate change was published on December 2014.* Turkey Habitat III National Report presents a certain set of standarts serving the aim of making urban transformation areas resilient to climate change impacts and climate disasters, and reducing carbon emissions as well as addresses the inclusion of climate disasters experienced in cities and disasters causing loss of life and property.

Enhancing Climate Adaptation Action in Turkey Project directly contributes to the aims and priorities put forward in the framework of UN HABITAT III and New Urban Agenda.

*Turkey Habitat III National Report can be downloaded from the following link:
https://habitat.csb.gov.tr/habitat-iii-turkiye-ulusal-raporu-i-5737