While a national climate change plan or strategy is being developed, a system focused on periodically understanding climate impacts and vulnerability can provide information to support future planning efforts, and make a contribution towards national climate change risk assessments. In countries where an adaptation plan or strategy is designed prior to a national monitoring and evaluation system, that system can be used to assess progress in implementation. To facilitate learning, it is beneficial for those closely linked to policy making processes such as budget negotiations or national planning, to be involved in designing the system.