This project will develop a pre-reading brief detailing the best practices/cases of APEC member economies in climate change adaptation utilizing climate services. The aim is to provide essential background information on current status of APEC member economies in climate change impacts and adaptation strategies, ensuring participants arrive with a baseline understanding necessary for effective discussions. This will situate participants within the current climate landscape, highlighting key challenges and sectoral interrelations, which prepares them to engage in meaningful dialogue and problem-solving during the event. The organizers see that a well-informed participant is more likely to contribute effectively to discussions, event, and collaborative efforts, fostering a richer learning environment for all attendees. This pre-reading brief will be published as an electronic form.

One pre-reading brief including case studies from member economies will be drafted during Q1-Q2 2025. 

The PO team has conducted research and identified that some member economies are actively applying climate information services to their climate change adaptation efforts and have exemplary cases to share. Based on this, five to six member economies-Malaysia, Chinese Taipei, Australia, Peru, Thailand and Viet Nam- will be invited to draft the pre- reading brief through literature review and internal discussions. In case some members are not available, other economies will be approached. 

he APEC Climate Symposium 2025 will be held for three days in August in Busan, Republic of Korea.

The Symposium serves as a critical output of this project aimed at fostering a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted impacts of climate change across various sectors. It will bring together policy makers, experts, practitioners, and stakeholders from APEC member economies to engage in meaningful discussions, share best practices, and develop actionable strategies for climate change adaptation. The event is expected to attract around 150 participants, providing a valuable platform for knowledge sharing and discussion.

Building up on from the pre-reading brief, some of the best cases showcased from the brief will be possibly shared at the event as well. This project will facilitate the exchange of information and best practices among member economies, enhancing collective understanding of climate change impacts and adaptation strategies among APEC member economies. Commemorating the 20th anniversary, the event will compose of sessions reflecting on the previous works of APCC in contributing to the well-being of APEC member economies using the most up-to-date science technology and chart the way forward for resilient APEC.

The event program will include: a keynote session; two thematic sessions, showcasing cutting-edge science, technology, and research outcomes, along with lessons-learned for the effective climate change adaptation; a panel discussion; a dedicated session for member economies to share their experiences and concerns based on the submitted pre-reading breif; and a warp-up session to summarize key findings and facilitate discussion among participants. Additionally, a post-event evaluation will be conducted at the end of the event.

The project team will work hard to produce actionable recommendations that member economies can adopt to enhance their adaptation efforts. Detailed program will be shared at the later stage.

A project summary report will be drafted by the PO's team to record the key findings and discussion from the Symposium. This report will contain a summary of each session and discussed topics. Best cases and experience that will be presented at the event and recommendations made for APEC member economies will also be included in the report. In addition, a post event survey results will be included in the report since the feedback from the participants and its analysis are an important indicator to show the change and/or improvement of participants’ levels of understanding on the topics covered. The Report is expected to be a minimum of 20 pages, excluding annexes and will be structured as follows: executive summary, background, introduction, session summary, outcomes, and participants feedback.

The primary beneficiaries will be APEC economy representatives working on climate change adaptation and climate-related sectors including water, food, energy, disaster risk reduction and early warning. By attending the event, they will be able to extract core knowledge and experience related to climate change response from 21 APEC member economies. Additionally, staff members from hydrological and meteorological services of each economy are expected to benefit directly by listening to experts' discussions on climate services for sectoral application. To achieve capacity building objectives of the project, the POs will work closely with economies to ensure that they nominate the most suitable participants. In selecting delegations, preference will be given to participants who have general knowledge of weather and/or climate, particularly those in positions to integrate the discussed scientific insights into their respective domestic climate change adaptation plans. The event will be open to senior-level central and local government officials and other relevant personnel from civil society such as climate change centers, institutions including Korea adaptation center for climate change, and the private sector such as SI Analytics involved in climate change adaptation.

Thus, this project will provide an opportunity for academia, governmental agencies and practitioners to network and explore possibilities for cooperation.