How SIDS can enhance the Global Goal on Adaptation indicator process

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are on the frontlines of climate impacts. Rising sea levels, intensifying storms, and shifting weather patterns are not distant threats – they are current and escalating challenges, especially as we get closer to the Paris Agreement 1.5°C threshold. As the Parties to the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement work to operationalise the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), it is essential that the indicator framework they develop meaningfully includes SIDS and reflects their unique contexts.

A new policy briefing, Tracking what matters: SIDS priorities for global adaptation indicators, released during the recent Bonn climate talks, emphasises how SIDS priorities can be better considered and included in the GGA indicator process. Drawing on practical experience and scientific evidence, the briefing offers a clear case for why SIDS must play a central role in shaping how adaptation is tracked, supported and advanced.

Indicators that reflect context, capacity, and relevance

SIDS face distinct adaptation challenges due to their geography, small populations, and constrained institutional and financial capacity. Generic or overly complex adaptation indicators may fail to capture these dynamics and could place additional reporting burdens on already stretched systems.

The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) has called for a concise, globally applicable set of GGA indicators that are both meaningful and manageable. SIDS argue that indicators should be designed not only to measure global progress on adaptation but also to serve practical functions, such as informing planning, enabling communication, and guiding resource allocation.

Critically, indicators must be useful, not just technically measurable. The utility of each indicator, in terms of its relevance to adaptation and its ability to support decision-making should guide its inclusion in the final GGA package.

Tracking what enables adaptation

Adaptation progress cannot be evaluated in isolation from the support provided to enable it. The GGA indicator framework must include a strong focus on Means of Implementation, particularly finance, technology, and capacity building.

For SIDS, adaptation finance must be accessible, grant-based, and aligned with development priorities. The continued shortfall in mitigation ambition globally means that adaptation responses will likely become more complex and costly. As a result, adaptation financing for SIDS must be scaled up and designed to avoid adding to debt burdens.

Means of Implementation indicators should measure both the quantity and quality of support and identify where gaps remain. This information is essential for accountability and for aligning support with actual needs in developing countries.

Tools to help SIDS prioritise the right indicators

To support informed participation in the GGA process, the briefing introduces practical templates and assessment tools that allow SIDS to review and assess proposed indicators. These tools help countries evaluate the relevance, feasibility, and usefulness of various indicators based on national circumstances.

Such tailored assessment mechanisms can help SIDS engage more effectively in global processes while avoiding inappropriate or burdensome reporting requirements. This is especially important for small countries with limited technical and institutional capacity to manage large-scale data collection efforts.

Transformation through integrated approaches

The science also shows that adaptation in SIDS increasingly requires systems-level responses. A transformational adaptation approach, one which links resilience-building with broader development goals such as energy access, food systems, and infrastructure, is becoming essential.

For instance, energy system transformation is a cross-cutting priority for many SIDS, combining mitigation and adaptation objectives. Integrating such priorities into the GGA indicator process will ensure that the indicators align with the real trajectories of change required in SIDS’ contexts.

Conclusion

The Global Goal on Adaptation indicator process presents a critical juncture for enhancing global understanding of adaptation progress. Tracking what matters underscores the need for indicators that are both context-sensitive and functionally useful—particularly for SIDS, whose exposure and capacity constraints are well-documented. The proposed assessment tools and methodological approaches in this policy briefing are grounded in this evidence, offering a structured way for SIDS to evaluate indicator relevance, feasibility, and utility.

A well-designed indicator set, rooted in both science and context, will be key to ensuring that the GGA serves as a practical instrument for tracking and supporting adaptation outcomes in vulnerable regions.