The Global Commission on Adaptation

The Global Commission on Adaptation was launched in The Hague on 16th October 2018 by the 8th Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon. Established by Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands and the leaders of 22 other convening countries, the Commission launched with the mandate to accelerate adaptation by elevating the political visibility of adaptation and focusing on concrete solutions.

The launch of The Global Commission on Adaptation

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, with co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, and Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, led the group of global leaders from political, business, multilateral, and scientific worlds.

The Commission’s mandate came to an end following its Year of Action in 2020, with its work showcased at the Climate Adaptation Summit hosted by the Netherlands on 25th January 2021. The Global Center on Adaptation is proud to be taking forward its work through its Programs.

FLAGSHIP REPORT

Adapt now: A global call for leadership on climate resilience

The Global Commission on Adaptation’s flagship report, released in September 2019, made the case for climate adaptation, providing specific insights and recommendations in key sectors: food security, the natural environment, water, cities, infrastructure, disaster risk management, and finance. It aimed to inspire action among heads of state and government officials, mayors, business executives, investors and community leaders.

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Commissioners

Members of the Global Commission on Adaptation Commissioners oversaw the development of the flagship report and guided the Year of Action.

Akinwumi Adesina

President, African Development Bank

Inger Andersen

Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme

Michelle Bachelet

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Winnie Byanyima

Executive Director, UNAIDS

Jagan Chapagain

Secretary General, IFRC

Peter Damgaard Jensen

CEO, PKA Ltd

Patricia Espinosa

Executive Secretary, UNFCCC

Christiana Figueres

Former Executive Secretary, UNFCCC

Li Ganjie

Former Minister of Ecology
and Environment, China

Hilda Heine

Former President of the Marshall Islands

Anne Hidalgo

Mayor, Paris

Emma Howard Boyd

Chair of the Environment Agency, UK

Agnes Kalibata

President, AGRA

Loren Legarda

Deputy Speaker and Representative of the Lone District of Antique, Philippines

Strive Masiyiwa

Founder and Chairman, Econet Wireless

José Antonio Meade

Former Finance Minister, Mexico

Shri C.K Mishra

Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, India

Keith Mitchell

Prime Minister, Grenada

Gerd Müller

Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany

Muhammad Musa

Executive Director of BRAC International

Cora van Nieuwenhuizen

Former Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, Netherlands

Sheela Patel

Chair, Slum/Shack Dwellers International

Carlos Manuel Rodriguez

CEO and Chairperson, Global Environment Facility

Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum

Attorney General and Minister for Economy, Civil Service and Communications, Fiji

Feike Sijbesma

Chairman of Royal DSM

Andrew Steer

President and CEO, World Resources Institute

Achim Steiner

Administrator, UNDP

Francis Suarez

Mayor, Miami

Petteri Taalas

Secretary-General, World Meteorological Organization

Axel van Trotsenburg

Managing Director of Operations, World Bank

Shemara Wikramanayake

CEO, Macquarie Group Ltd.

Jonathan Wilkinson

Former Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Canada

Convening Countries

The leaders of the convening countries committed to catalyzing a global adaptation movement and work together to support the work of the Global Commission.