How Timor-Leste Is Using the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Process to Scale Up Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (EbA)

Timor-Leste's National Adaptation Plan (NAP), ratified in September 2020 and submitted to the UNFCCC in March 2021, establishes Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) as one of 14 guiding principles to link environmental protection with climate action. The process, led by the National Directorate for Climate Change (NDCC), utilizes a systems approach across seven priority sectors and five ecological zones. A key feature of the implementation is the use of Tarabandu, a traditional customary rule system, to engage local communities in EbA measures. The NAP aligns with the Strategic Development Plan 2011–2030 and international frameworks like the Paris Agreement and the Sendai Framework. Future steps include the development of a monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and learning (MERL) framework and a comprehensive financing plan by 2022.

• Timor-Leste's NAP identifies EbA as one of 14 guiding principles to maximize the co-benefits between climate adaptation and environmental protection, aiming to build a climate-resilient development trajectory.
• The NAP process employs a systems approach to natural capital across five ecological zones: marine and coastal, arid lowland, mountainous, highland plains, and wetlands and lakes.
• The government utilizes Tarabandu, a traditional customary rule system of public agreement and mediation, as a primary entry point for implementing community-driven EbA and improving social cohesion.
• The NAP is designed to create synergies between various international and national commitments, including the Paris Agreement, the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction, the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, and the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP).
• The NAP aligns climate resilience with national economic goals, specifically the Strategic Development Plan 2011–2030, to link EbA with poverty eradication and post-conflict nation-building.
• To ensure accountability and evidence-based implementation, the government plans to establish a national monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and learning (MERL) framework and a comprehensive financing plan by 2022.

APA

Qi, J. (2021). How Timor-Leste Is Using the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Process to Scale Up Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (EbA). NAP Global Network. https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/napgn-en-2021-timor-leste-using-nap-scale-up-eba.pdf

Chicago

Qi, Jeffrey. How Timor-Leste Is Using the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Process to Scale Up Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (EbA). NAP Global Network, 2021. https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/napgn-en-2021-timor-leste-using-nap-scale-up-eba.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Qi |first1=Jeffrey |title=How Timor-Leste Is Using the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Process to Scale Up Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (EbA) |publisher=NAP Global Network |date=November 2021 |url=https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/napgn-en-2021-timor-leste-using-nap-scale-up-eba.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{qi2021how, author = {Qi, Jeffrey}, title = {{How Timor-Leste Is Using the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Process to Scale Up Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (EbA)}}, institution = {NAP Global Network}, year = {2021}, month = nov, url = {https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/napgn-en-2021-timor-leste-using-nap-scale-up-eba.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }