At the recent UNFCCC Climate Week in Yeosu, one message came through clearly: the global climate agenda is in the era of implementation. As most countries have submitted their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs 3.0) last year and 76 developing countries have submitted theirs National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), the focus has shifted from turning climate commitments into tangible, on-the-ground results. 

The pressing question is no longer what to do, but how to pay for it. How do we move from plans, such as NDCs and NAPs to scalable, financed action?  

Countries are actively navigating how to turn national plans into bankable projects that reach communities most at risk. However, they face increasingly complex financing landscapes, where access, timing, and types of finance shape what can be delivered. 

Here are three key drivers emerging from global discussions that are helping countries bridge the gap between climate ambition and investment. 

1. Clear targets and strategic planning unlock capital  

Strong monitoring and evaluation are essential for unlocking adaptation finance. Without clear metrics and evidence of results, it is difficult for countries to build investor confidence, demonstrate impact, and attract sustained investment. 

A key milestone shaping this transition is the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), which provides a common framework for countries to define, measure, and track adaptation progress. For many countries working on NAPs, it offered greater clarity on priorities and expected outcomes. 

We are already seeing this in action. Discussions at the recent Regional NAP Expo showed how clearer targets are already helping the most climate-vulnerable countries translate adaptation priorities into finance-ready plans. 

But beyond its technical value, the GGA has significant implications for financing adaptation. By establishing clearer indicators and metrics, it helps strengthen investor confidence and enables a more structured approach to building adaptation project pipelines. Countries can better demonstrate how proposed actions align with national priorities, what results they are expected to deliver, and how progress will be measured over time. 

Global frameworks (like the UAE Framework and Belém Indicators) are already bridging the gap between setting targets and delivering results. This shift opens the door to results-based financing, where funding is tied to proven impact. It also allows countries to learn from what works and constantly improve a more responsive adaptation strategy. 

2. Whole-of-Government approach is a foundation for climate financing  

Climate action does not happen in isolation; it cuts across sectors such as water, agriculture, health, and infrastructure. Ensuring alignment across these areas helps reduce duplication, manage trade-offs, and create a more enabling environment for investment. 

Effective implementation depends on how well NDCs and NAPs are aligned, which is an essential step for building climate resilience. When aligned, countries can converge efforts, make the most of their resources, and mobilize financiers and investors to accelerate adaptation. This is why UNDP is supporting 46 countries to strengthen and implement their NAPs, and working with the Government of Italy and partners to strengthen coordination mechanisms and align national priorities into coherent, investment-ready frameworks under the Adaptation Accelerator Hub – so that plans move from paper to action.  

If a country’s climate goals aren’t aligned with its broader economic and sector policies, it creates a risky environment for investors. Initiatives like the UNDP Climate Finance Network (CFN), supported by the UK FCDO flagship CARA programme, play a vital role here by bringing together Ministries of Finance and sector agencies to ensure climate goals are embedded directly into national budgets. With tools like the Adaptation Finance Strategy Guideline, CFN is able to help countries mobilize finance for the NAPs and NDCs.  Integrated planning can also facilitate the use of blended finance approaches, where public resources are used strategically crowd-in private investment that would otherwise sit on the sidelines. 

In this sense, strengthening governance and coordination is not only a must for policy but also for finance. 

3. Finance must be inclusive and system-wide 

As countries work to mobilize resources for implementation, there is an increasing emphasis on innovative financing approaches that can unlock new sources of capital while ensuring that climate action is inclusive and equitable. 

Discussions on gender-responsive climate finance highlighted the importance of designing financial mechanisms that reach and benefit women, communities, and other vulnerable groups. This includes expanding access to finance at subnational and community levels, as well as engaging the private sector in ways that support inclusive development outcomes. 

However, innovation is not only about financial instruments. It is also about how finance is delivered and who it reaches. Ensuring meaningful participation from women, youth, Indigenous Peoples, and civil society in implementation processes is essential to achieving lasting impact. 

In this inclusion effort, climate risks are becoming increasingly complex and interconnected.  

Extreme weather events are no longer isolated incidents; they can trigger system-wide disruptions across multiple sectors, particularly in vulnerable contexts. Addressing these challenges requires integrated responses that cut across traditional silos. An extreme weather event doesn't just damage roads; it disrupts food supply chains, overwhelms health systems, and deepens social inequalities. 

This has important implications for financing.  

Investments need to support not only individual projects, but also system-wide resilience. This includes strengthening early warning systems, building climate-resilient infrastructure, and supporting coordinated responses across sectors such as health, water, agriculture and waste management. 

The SCALA programme is demonstrating what this systems-wide approach can look like in practice. By combining value chain analysis with private sector engagement in climate-sensitive sectors, such as cassava and cashew. This systemic approach addresses underlying risks across the value chain, creating more investable and resilient agricultural systems.  

At the same time, financing must be tailored to local contexts. Effective solutions depend on a deep understanding of specific risks, capacities, and needs at the national and subnational levels. Community-level investments, in particular, can play a critical role in building resilience where it matters most. 

Looking ahead  

Moving from commitment to delivery depends on the alignment of the three pillars we’ve discussed: strategic planning that creates bankable pipelines, joined-up government that lowers risk, and inclusive, system-wide resilience bringing the benefits of climate action to those who need it most. Every country’s pathway is unique, no one is navigating this alone.  

Initiatives like UNDP’s Climate Promise and the Climate Finance Network are actively supporting countries in this transition, helping them integrate climate strategies into public financial management, mobilize private capital, and build the enabling environments necessary for lasting impact. 

The challenge now is to sustain this momentum ensuring that climate commitments are translated into investment-ready actions, and that financing flows at the scale and speed required for a climate-resilient future.