Adaptation is the adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which moderates harm or exploits beneficial opportunities.

Adaptation to climate changes refers to adjustment in ecological, social, or economic systems in response to actual or expected climate stimuli and their effects or impacts, addressed to the solution of relative problems, as well as to the benefits from the undertaken measures.

The necessity to design the adaptation strategy is based upon the vulnerability assessment alarming conclusions, and is conditioned by the demand in sustainable development of the national economy and its better adaptation to climate changes and extreme weather events.

National action programmes and plans, including those dealing with environmental safety, desertification, flood management, protection of the ozone layer, ecological public education, and others, indicate a high priority in realization of measures concerning unfavourable climate changes consequences.

National obligations on implementation of the UNFCCC are to design and implement adaptation measures, to improve and develop systematic observation network, to support education and enhance public awareness.

The strategy covers the sectors of national economy vulnerable to climate changes, as well as the issues related to public health and natural resources. The strategy priorities are based the following principles:

• the degree of negative climate change impact, extreme weather events and their consequences;
• the level of threat to human lives, public health, economic development, food security, water and sanitation, infrastructure, cultural heritage, land resources, biological diversity;
• economic efficiency and others.

Major directions of the strategy include the following:

I. Training of specialists in the areas related to adaptation, such as climate and hydrology research, geographic information systems, environmental impact assessment, land protection, water conservation and others;

II. Improvement of the research programmes on the assessment of climate change impacts, and changes in the climate system;

III. Institutional and technical capacity building;

IV. Improvement of the systematic observation and monitoring network;

V. Improvement of the information systems;

VI. Improvement of climate modelling, prediction and early warning systems;

VII. Conducting targeted researches on climate changes and their consequences;

VIII. Design and implementation of the demonstration projects on adaptation;

IX. Implementation of adaptation projects (III stage), in particular, those concerning water conservation, rational use of land and forest resources, agriculture, public health, infrastructure, ecosystems, etc.

The strategy covers various levels of implementation: local, regional, national, and institutional. The total cost of the strategy is approximately US $500 millions. GEF operational programmes, the Adaptation Fund under the UNFCCC, international assistance projects, CDM projects allocations, as well as budgetary and non-budgetary financial sources could serve as potential sources of funding for implementation of adaptation measures.