Dr. Konstantinos Dellis, under the leadership of Prof. Phoebe Koundouri, contributed to the TSI–TAIEX Workshop, supporting the implementation of Cyprus’s revised National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan—“Enhancing disaster risk management and climate change adaptation in Cyprus”—with a session titled “Financing Adaptation Pathways: Insights from the Pathways2Resilience (P2R) Project.”
His presentation highlighted how the Adaptation Investment Cycle (AIC), developed within Pathways2Resilience, addresses common barriers to adaptation finance—from fragmented data and unclear policy signals to low perceived returns—while promoting just resilience. The AIC is a flexible, iterative process with multiple entry points for regions, whether they follow existing adaptation plans or co-shape new regional action plans.
A key policy recommendation from this work is the integration of investment planning within the updated EU guidance for national and regional adaptation plans, which is an essential step to strengthen the financial dimension of resilience building.
During the interactive workshop, participants from diverse regional and national contexts exchanged experiences and insights with great enthusiasm. Key barriers identified by the group included:
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Low prioritization of adaptation by policymakers
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Fragmented data on adaptation needs and opportunities
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Limited fiscal autonomy for many European regions and cities
Proposed solutions included:
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Green tagging in regional budgets
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Adoption of green taxes to fund adaptation
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Embedding resilience narratives in early education
These exchanges reaffirmed the value of collaborative learning and innovation in unlocking adaptation finance and accelerating climate resilience across Europe.