Building Momentum for Adaptation Investment: Reflections from CAIP 2025
Last week, Cadlas had the privilege of supporting the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in advancing its adaptation and resilience investment planning work at this year’s Climate Adaptation Investment Forum (#CAIP2025).
The conversations in Manila showed just how far the community of practice has come since we last gathered. Engagement was stronger, the discussions deeper, and the appetite for investment—both public and private—much clearer. There is clearly much more work to do, but to see this much progression and commitment to the process in only a year is very encouraging indeed.
We were honoured to have our own Noah Wescombe leading the conversation in two key sessions:
• Project Preparation Facilities for Adaptation – exploring how to design, structure, and scale the pipelines of projects that will ultimately mobilise finance, as well as the effective, sustainable models for maintaining PPFs for adaptation with national ownership.
• Country access to international markets and match-making – discussing how countries can unlock international capital and connect with private investors, while also noting the different levels of access and challenges faced in country readiness.
Both sessions gave us an excellent platform to share Cadlas’ recent work with ADB and the wider community, and to reflect on the lessons that can guide the next phase of CAIP’s growth.
Here are three of our key takeaways and lessons from #CAIP2025
• Country leadership is setting the pace. Certain countries are already innovating in policy, regulation, and practice. Their experience provides valuable lessons for others on how to overcome barriers and leverage opportunities.
• Private sector involvement is crucial. Public investment will remain essential, but we need more commercial banks, insurers, and investors in the room to bring scale and sustainability to adaptation finance.
• Metrics matter. Effective adaptation metrics are vital for planning and investment. If we can capture the financial as well as economic benefits of adaptation, we can give investors the confidence to commit capital.
Looking Ahead
At Cadlas, we see forums like CAIP as essential to turning ambition into action. The fact that adaptation investment is now firmly on the agenda (not just for governments and development partners, but also for private finance) is an encouraging sign of the shift underway.
We thank our colleagues at ADB, IIED, and across the CAIP community of practice for such a collaborative and inspiring week. We look forward to continuing to support this process, helping to translate national priorities into investable pipelines, and ensuring that finance is mobilised at the scale required.
Together, we can build a climate-resilient future—one investment at a time.
