The 9th Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum took place from September 29 – October 3, at the United Nations Conference Center (UNCC) in Bangkok, Thailand, and organized by the Asia-Pacific Adaptation Network (APAN).

Representatives from States, financing institutions, academia and research, international organisations, UN agencies, civil society organizations, youth organizations and the private sector are among the 850 participants coming from more than 50 countries. It aims to build and strengthen partnerships across sectors for adaptation action and accelerate solutions across the region. 

The Forum agenda is rich and diverse, featuring deep-dive sessions, plenaries and parallel technical sessions. In the five days, participants explored the five key enablers of transformational adaptation: Policies, planning, and governance; Science, evidence, and knowledge systems; Innovation, technology, and practices; Financial systems, instruments, and modalities; and Social capital, empowerment, and equity. These enablers were discussed across the following four systems: Food and agriculture; Land, water, ecosystems and biodiversity; Cities, infrastructure and industries; and Health, livelihoods, and society.

Samdhana Institute, together with partners: MASIPAG, KAIL, and community leader, presented the output of the Southeast Asia Regional Summit on Food Sovereignty and Community Resilience that was held last September 19-22 in the Philippines. Mr. Edtami Mansayagan, Samdhana Fellow and former member of the United Nations Expert Mechanism on Rights of the Indigenous Peoples (UN-EMRIP) for Asia and the Pacific gave a keynote address on IPLC-Led food Systems, community stewardship and indigenous knowledge on the 2nd of October 2025.