• The Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) was launched in 2007 by the European Commission to strengthen dialogue and cooperation on climate change between the European Union (EU) and developing countries most vulnerable to climate change, in particular Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which are hardest hit by the adverse effects of climate change.
• The GCCA acts as a platform for dialogue and exchange of experience between the EU and developing countries on climate policy and on practical approaches to integrate climate change into development policies and budgets.
• The results of dialogue and exchange of views feed into the discussions on the post-2012 climate agreement under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and inform the technical and financial cooperation supported by the GCCA. Discussions take place at global, regional and national levels.
• The GCCA also provides technical and financial support to partner countries to integrate climate change into their development policies and budgets, and to implement projects that address climate change on the ground, promoting climate-resilient, low-emission development. Technical and financial cooperation, in turn, informs political dialogue and exchange of experience at regional and global levels.

The five GCCA priority areas include:

■ Mainstreaming climate change into poverty reduction and development strategies

■ Adaptation, building on the National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs) and other national plans

■ Disaster risk reduction (DRR)

■ Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD)

■ Enhancing participation in the Global Carbon Market and Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)

The GCCA+ aims at increasing understanding about the specific consequences of climate change in the short, medium and long term. With this understanding, as it relates to their own environments, partner countries can design and implement adaptation and mitigation actions.  National Adaptation Planning (NAP) focuses on responding to negative climate change impacts. Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) primarily address mitigating or controlling emissions of greenhouse gases but may include adaptation. GCCA+ will assist partners in identifying win-win approaches, developing coherent national strategies and ensuring their proper implementation in line with UNFCCC commitments.