Bellagio Framework for Adaptation Assessment and Prioritization

The Bellagio Framework for Adaptation Assessment and Prioritization is a working paper by the World Resources Institute (WRI) that proposes a systematic approach to identifying core national adaptation functions. Developed during a November 2008 workshop in Italy, the framework aims to help countries identify capacity gaps, prioritize investments, and establish progress metrics for climate adaptation.

• The Bellagio Framework identifies a set of fundamental adaptation functions that all countries must perform to respond effectively to climate change, regardless of their specific national circumstances.
• The lack of a clear, concise articulation of key adaptation functions has led to confusion regarding the overlap between adaptation and development, which in turn hinders the political will to secure additional adaptation funding within the UNFCCC and other sources.
• The framework is structured around three primary categories of national adaptation functions: Planning Functions, Management Functions, and Service Delivery Functions.
• Planning functions within the framework focus on assessment, prioritization, and high-level coordination to enable cross-sector alignment and stakeholder engagement.
• Management functions include information management, addressing adaptation incentives and barriers, and coordinating across different services and levels of government.
• Service delivery functions are divided into infrastructure, natural resources management, and social protection, each addressing both the reduction of climate risk to existing systems and the use of these systems as climate solutions.
• WRI intends to further develop the framework by creating function-by-function guidance, assessment questions for monitoring and evaluation, institutional analysis, and sector-specific tools for areas such as health, agriculture, and water.
• A critical next step for the framework is to conduct a practical pilot assessment in a developing country to test its effectiveness.

APA

World Resources Institute (2009). Bellagio Framework for Adaptation Assessment and Prioritization. http://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/bellagio_framework_for_adaptation.pdf

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Bellagio Framework for Adaptation Assessment and Prioritization. 2009. http://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/bellagio_framework_for_adaptation.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Bellagio Framework for Adaptation Assessment and Prioritization |date=March 2009 |url=http://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/bellagio_framework_for_adaptation.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2009bellagio, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Bellagio Framework for Adaptation Assessment and Prioritization}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2009}, month = mar, url = {http://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/bellagio_framework_for_adaptation.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }