In this new CDKN technical report, Xolisa Ngwadla and Samah El-Bakri explore in detail the task ahead to transform the Global Adaptation Goal in the Paris climate agreement: from warm words into real action that will save lives and livelihoods on the ground. The comprehensive scope of the Paris Agreement, which includes not only mitigation, but also specific provisions on adaptation and support – particularly finance – provides a renewed sense of hope for African countries. Ngwadla and El-Bakri argue that a great deal of elaboration is needed to fully operationalise the adaptation provisions of the Paris Agreement, including achievement of the Global Goal on Adaptation. Some of these elaborations will be technical in nature and can be addressed by intergovernmental science bodies such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and specialised bodies established under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). However, other tasks will be political in nature.