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    RCC Asia and the Pacific at ARNECC Live Podcast 1 | NDC 101 – A UNFCCC Perspective

    Event Summary The Regional Collaboration Centre (RCC) Asia and the Pacific partnered with the ASEAN Centre for Energy to deliver the first episode of the ASEAN Researchers Network on Energy and Climate Change (ARNECC) Live Podcast 2025 series, focusing on “NDC 101 – A UNFCCC Perspective.” Held on 26 June 2025, the event explored how Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) function as the backbone of ASEAN’s pathway to a net-zero future. Participants joined a live discussion designed to build understanding of the NDC process, share experiences across Southeast Asia, and highlight opportunities for regional collaboration. The event forms part of the ASEAN Researchers Network on Energy and Climate Change (ARNECC), under the ASEAN Climate Change and Energy Project (ACCEPT) II, which seeks to advance knowledge-sharing and support evidence-based policymaking across the energy-climate nexus. About the Session This first episode of the ARNECC Live Podcast brought together UNFCCC experts and ASEAN stakeholders for an interactive conversation on: The basics of the NDC framework. Regional updates on NDC preparation and submission. Key challenges and opportunities for ASEAN Member States. How the UNFCCC supports countries in making their NDCs more ambitious and implementable. The podcast aimed to strengthen understanding of the NDC process in the Southeast Asian context and encourage greater ambition, equity, and accountability in the run-up to the 2025 NDC submission cycle. The live discussion also provided an opportunity for academics, researchers, analysts, students, and policymakers to share views and ask questions directly to UNFCCC experts. Speakers Julie Amoroso Garbin – Regional Lead, UNFCCC RCC Asia and the Pacific Juhi Bansal – NDC and LT-LEDS Specialist, UNFCCC RCC Asia and the Pacific Key Topics Covered Introduction to NDCs and the UNFCCC’s role Current status and progress of NDCs in Southeast Asia. Common barriers and gaps in NDC implementation. Opportunities for enhanced regional collaboration. UNFCCC’s technical and procedural support for countries. Ensuring transparency and accountability in NDC submission.  

    RCC Asia and the Pacific held a Regional Partners Stocktaking Meeting on the NDC Update in March 2024.
    2025 NDCs: Asia-Pacific Partners Stocktaking Meeting

    RCC Asia-Pacific co-organized a regional partners stocktaking meeting on the NDC Update together with the co-chairs of the Issue-based Coalition on Raising Ambition in Climate Action (UNEP and UNESCAP) and the NDC Partnership (NDCP), with 18 organizations attending in person or virtually. This meeting provided a space for attendees to discuss the significance of the nationally determined contributions (NDCs), the challenges faced in engaging with countries, and the gamut of initiatives planned through the year for supporting NDCs,  emphasizing and underscoring the need to capture ongoing activities and streamline and synergize the support being provided.   Background During the meeting, key entities in the region underscored the significance of NDCs under the Paris Agreement-how they have shaped climate action historically and how the new 2025 NDCs need to provide a clear signal for economic transformation. This new round of NDCs, or NDCs 3.0 needs to be backed by sound investment strategies that facilitate implementation by engaging a diverse set of stakeholders, focusing on the private sector to catalyze economic shifts. The need for strong country ownership for the NDCs 3.0 and the importance of coordination and collaboration among international partners also clearly emerged. Some organizations acknowledged their limitation in reaching out to countries and emphasized that development and implementing organizations should be mobilizing support to countries as one instead of a piecemeal approach. Effective collaboration is key, with the RCC Asia Pacific along with the IBC to map the support each agency offers, enhancing the support provided by regional partners. It was also emphasized that NDCs represent each country's targets and ambitions, tempered by national priorities and ground realities. The tools and strategies nations employ to reach these targets can vary. It is important to clarify to the countries the essential components that must be included in NDCs, along with good practices that they can follow, and assist countries in achieving their goals through various funding mechanisms. The focus of this round of NDCs shall also be on strengthening the quality and r robustness of the NDCs.   Objectives The meeting was an opportunity for dialogue and exchange among development partners in Asia and the Pacific actively supporting countries on NDC development and implementation, including sharing information on the different initiatives planned throughout the year for supporting NDCs. RCC Asia-Pacific acknowledged the numerous obligations countries face, recognized their limited capacities and stressed the need for strategic and targeted support. The team highlighted the importance of avoiding the duplication of efforts by establishing a system to share information more efficiently and making it more accessible to countries.  Participants were also encouraged to regularly share updates with the RCC, which will streamline communication and facilitate exchange of information among all stakeholders to align regional support effectively.    Way Forward As next steps, the RCC Asia-Pacific and the IBC will map out the different support areas provided by these agencies to the countries in the region, providing insight on where collaborations can be built, and identifying areas where there is a lack of support, both geographically and sectorally.  They will also establish a platform to capture ongoing activities and available support and make this accessible to all. This exercise will hope to ensure that consistent matchmaking support is available to countries in the region. The RCC AP will look at the integration of various climate action elements such as mitigation, adaptation, gender, loss and damage, etc., aiming to build unified support for the NDCs.

    A team of professionals convening in breakout groups during a formal training session
    YECAP Climate Negotiators Training 2023

    In May 2023, RCC Asia-Pacific partnered with YECAP in collaboration with YOUNGO and, the International Youth Climate Movement to host the YECAP Climate Negotiators Training 2023.   YECAP Climate Negotiators Training 2023 15 to 17 May 2023 Concept Note and Agenda   From 15 to 17 May 2023, the UN Climate Change RCC Asia-Pacific partnered with Youth Empowerment in Climate Action Platform (YECAP), YOUNGO (the UNFCCC Children and Youth Constituency) and the International Youth Climate Movement to host the YECAP Climate Negotiators Training 2023 in the UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub.   Objectives The Negotiators Training was delivered to achieve several objectives: Increase the capacity of young trainees on underlying processes of UNFCCC such as Mitigation, Adaptation, Means of Implementation, and Communication and Engagement Tools Increase knowledge and awareness among young people on the overall UNFCCC negotiation process, key topics that are of importance for Parties (countries) and non-party stakeholders, motivating them to be able to participate in the process Increase the understanding of the key outcomes from COP26 and COP27 and knowledge sharing on the implementation and decision-making process in the lead up to COP28 Share available opportunities for the young advocates to engage at national and regional dialogues and programmes including Nationally determine Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and other key areas from the outcomes of COP26 and COP27   Participants and Speakers Young climate leaders joined from across Asia and the Pacific. At the workshop, experts from Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), UNFCCC Secretariat, RCC Asia-Pacific, YOUNGO, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP), and United Nations Environment Programme Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (UNEP ROAP) in areas such as overview of UNFCCC negotiation process, Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE),  Article 6, Fossil fuels and Coal Phase Down policies, Loss and Damage, Cross-cutting issues and technology, etc. For more information, please visit Youth Empowerment in Climate Action Platform.

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