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The SEI Asia Strategy 2020-24 establishes a framework to bridge science, policy, and practice to achieve environmental sustainability and inclusive development in Asia. The strategy is organized around three primary impact areas: reduced climate risk, sustainable resource use and resilient ecosystems, and improved health and well-being. To achieve these, SEI Asia focuses on five core research and policy clusters: Gender, Environment and Development; Water; Climate Change, Disasters and Development; Urban; and Policy. The document also highlights specialized programs for the Mekong Region and Myanmar, and identifies evolving areas of work including ecological economics, sustainable finance, and the environment-health nexus.

The report examines the gap between evidence generation and its application in conservation and humanitarian sectors. It identifies that many decisions are driven by heuristics, cognitive biases, and organizational norms rather than rigorous data. The authors categorize decision-making levels (field, program, and strategic) and types of evidence (situational, indigenous, scientific, etc.), ultimately recommending five strategies to foster evidence-informed decisions: strengthening researcher-practitioner relationships, combining different knowledge types, supporting structured processes, increasing research accessibility, and influencing organizational norms.

The document outlines a framework for building a resilient 1.5-degree world, focusing on three pillars: resilient economies, people/communities, and environments. It emphasizes the need to bring adaptation and resilience investment on par with mitigation, noting that current resilience finance is only around 5%. The report highlights specific global initiatives, such as the Insuresilience Global Partnership and the CRAFT fund, and provides a detailed annex of stakeholder contributions regarding data access, nature-based solutions, and the empowerment of marginalized groups.

The National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process is a strategic framework established in 2010 under the Cancun Adaptation Framework to help countries identify and address medium- and long-term climate adaptation priorities. Unlike the earlier National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs) which focused on immediate needs, the NAP process aims to embed adaptation into standard development planning, budgeting, and decision-making. The process consists of three broad phases: planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E). It is designed to be country-driven, gender-responsive, and multi-sectoral, ensuring that adaptation is not treated as a separate environmental issue but as an integral part of national development. The document highlights the NAP process's central role in meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement, specifically Article 7 paragraph 9, and its synergy with Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

The document highlights Sri Lanka's progress in linking sustainable development, climate change, and disaster risk reduction within its policy documents. It identifies the iterative updates of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and National Adaptation Plan (NAP) as critical entry points for further alignment. The study notes that alignment is more straightforward when a single entity, specifically the Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment, leads the processes. Additionally, it suggests that alignment can create efficiencies in establishing monitoring and evaluation systems and sub-national planning processes.

The Government of Kenya has aligned its climate and development goals by using the National Climate Change Action Plan 2018–2022 (NCCAP) to implement both its National Adaptation Plan (NAP) 2015–2030 and its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). While alignment is currently achieved primarily through identifying synergies in policy documents, the document suggests that coordination could be further improved through harmonized financing, shared risk information, and coordinated monitoring and evaluation systems.

The SADC-HYCOS IV Project seeks to strengthen the capacity of 16 Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states to manage climate-related water risks. The project focuses on restoring hydrological monitoring stations damaged by Cyclones Idai and Kenneth, upgrading data transmission from expensive satellite systems to cost-effective GSM-modem technology, and establishing a centralised regional hydrological database. By improving the availability of contextually-appropriate hydrological information and early-warning systems, the project intends to provide adaptation benefits to approximately 140 million vulnerable people, particularly those reliant on agriculture and fisheries.

The project aims to enhance Bhutan's capacity for impact-based forecasting and early warning services to protect vulnerable populations and climate-sensitive sectors. It proposes a total investment of USD 26 million, with USD 10 million requested from the Green Climate Fund and USD 16 million in co-financing from the Royal Government of Bhutan. The initiative focuses on upgrading monitoring infrastructure, developing a central climate database and decision support systems, and building the capacity of the National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM) and end-users to utilize climate information for planning and disaster risk management.

The document outlines how gender and social inclusion are addressed across four major international frameworks: the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the Paris Agreement, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. It highlights that while SDG 5 is dedicated to gender equality, other frameworks like the Paris Agreement integrate gender primarily in adaptation and preamble sections rather than mitigation. The Sendai Framework emphasizes inclusive policies and the needs of disproportionately affected people in disaster risk management.

The 2019 Global Landscape of Climate Finance report finds that annual climate finance reached an average of USD 579 billion in 2017/2018, a 25% increase over 2015/2016. While renewable energy remains the dominant sector, there is significant growth in low-carbon transport and public adaptation finance. However, the report emphasizes that current investment levels are grossly insufficient to meet 1.5 °C goals, and that finance for fossil fuel supply infrastructure continues to far outweigh clean energy investment.

The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) investigates the drivers of disaster displacement, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, where the majority of such displacement occurs. SEI's work focuses on the vulnerabilities of poor populations, the impacts of both slow and rapid-onset risks, and the evaluation of displacement policies like planned relocations. Key projects include studying the effects of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, analyzing flood-induced mobility in Southeast Asia, and researching the specific challenges faced by people with disabilities during displacement. SEI also collaborates with international bodies such as the IOM and UNCCD to address the links between land degradation, desertification, and forced migration.

The case study highlights Sri Lanka's progress in linking sustainable development, climate change, and disaster risk reduction, noting that alignment is facilitated when a single ministry, the Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment, leads the processes. It identifies the iterative updates of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and National Adaptation Plan (NAP) as key opportunities for further alignment and suggests that integrating monitoring and evaluation systems can create significant efficiencies.

The Government of Kenya has aligned its climate and development efforts by integrating the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) 2015–2030 and Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) into the National Climate Change Action Plan 2018–2022 (NCCAP). While alignment is achieved through identifying synergies in policy documents, the study identifies needs for better coordination, financing strategies, and monitoring systems.

Albania is highly vulnerable to extreme weather, particularly floods and droughts, despite having 100 per cent renewable power generation. To address this, the government established the Inter-Ministerial Working Group on Climate Change in 2014 and developed a National Adaptation Plan (NAP), making it the only Balkan country to do so. With support from the NAP Global Network and GIZ, Albania has integrated adaptation into its National Strategy on Climate Change (approved July 2, 2019) and is working on urban resilience through 'Action 12', which requires an estimated USD 50 million in funding for municipal adaptation plans.

The report assesses gender equality and climate vulnerability in the Philippines to inform the design of a multi-hazard early warning system. It identifies that women, female-headed households, and indigenous peoples face distinct vulnerabilities during extreme weather events, such as higher mortality rates during Typhoon Yolanda and limited land ownership. The document outlines a Gender Action Plan to integrate sex-disaggregated data, tailor warning messages for vulnerable groups, and build the capacity of project implementers in gender analysis across four specific project sites.

The paper argues that ignoring gender and power inequalities in climate adaptation is maladaptive and recommends transforming social structures to ensure equitable resilience. It analyzes six key systems—natural environment, food security, sustainable cities, infrastructure, industry, and finance—demonstrating how patriarchal norms and intersecting inequalities (such as class, ethnicity, and age) disproportionately burden women and marginalized groups. The authors advocate for rigorous gender analyses, the redistribution of care work, and the inclusion of diverse voices in decision-making to move beyond tokenistic gender mainstreaming toward systemic, gender-transformative change.

The report finds that insurance markets in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Rwanda are underdeveloped, with low penetration and significant 'risk-protection gaps' for households and SMEs. While government-led health insurance has increased overall uptake, private insurance remains focused on large corporate risks and compulsory lines, which often lead to irrational price competition and poor consumer value. The authors argue that the sector's role as an institutional investor is limited by short-term balance sheets and a lack of long-term investment instruments. To unlock the potential of insurance for development, the report proposes six imperatives: proactive policy leadership, a transition to risk-based supervision, driving innovation through better data and regulatory tools, re-engineering compulsory products, improving risk management for SMEs, and incentivising long-term savings to support capital market development.

Colombia has made significant progress in aligning its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), National Adaptation Plan (NAP), and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) strategy. The National Planning Department (DNP) plays a central role in coordinating these agendas, particularly by using the SDG agenda as the entry point for the 2018–2022 National Development Plan. While synergies exist—such as the NAP serving as the basis for the NDC's adaptation component—the document identifies a lack of formal coordination mechanisms between the national climate change system (SISCLIMA) and the High-Level Commission for the SDGs, as well as between the National Disaster Risk Management System and the NAP process.

The Government of Kenya has integrated its climate adaptation, disaster risk management, and sustainable development goals through a systemic alignment of policy frameworks. Central to this is the National Climate Change Action Plan 2018–2022 (NCCAP), which serves as the implementation vehicle for both the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) 2015–2030 and the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). The document highlights that while strategic alignment exists in policy documents, further opportunities for enhancement lie in improving coordination mechanisms, sharing climate risk information, harmonizing financing strategies, and coordinating monitoring and evaluation systems.

The document analyzes the institutional and policy landscape of climate-resilient development in Sri Lanka, identifying existing synergies between the National Adaptation Plan (NAP), Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It highlights that having the Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment lead both sustainable development and climate change coordination simplifies alignment. The study identifies four key entry points for enhanced strategic alignment: updating the NDC and NAP, developing the National Policy and Strategy on Sustainable Development (NPSSD), establishing integrated monitoring and evaluation systems, and initiating provincial adaptation planning.