Upcoming: Regional Webinar on GHG Emissions Projection

RCC EASA highlighted COP29 outcomes on adaptation and resilience.

RCC EASA supports developing a National Carbon Market Strategy Under CiACA initiative

RCC EASA unpacked the COP 29 outcomes on Article 6 and the CDM

Africa has a surge in green innovators/entrepreneurs contributing to climate action and local impact.

The fourth and final phase of the Gender Capacity Building Project funded by the Africa Climate Change Fund

This forum showcased the key outcomes of the Greenovations project and explored collaborations to address silos of engagement.

Webinar to (a) provide an overview of the process and necessary steps for developing tier 2 inventories and (b) tips on how to translate these into NDC targets.

As a part of Greenovation webinar series, RCC EASA will co-host a session for African women entrepreneurs.

RCC hosts regional workshops on Article 6 and Carbon Pricing

Support to African countries in the development of LT-LEDS.

Experts, policymakers and innovators share knowledge towards gender-responsive green innovation ecosystems across Africa.

RCC EAS Africa and School of Policy and Governance host capacity-building workshop on net zero Considerations in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda. Objectives Present key decisions on NDCs, including a roadmap for preparation and submission for NDC 3.0 and GST outcomes as countries prepare NDC 3.0. Build capacity for governments to understand, interpret and make decisions on NDC strategies to ensure they are implementable based on practical realities. Build capacity for countries to integrate GST outcomes, carbon neutrality and 1.5 Degree considerations into the NDCs, national development and policy advocacy. Background The Paris Agreement on climate change requires all parties to prepare, communicate, and maintain successive nationally determined contributions (NDCs). NDCs are the main vehicle for countries to communicate their climate ambitions and actions, and to align them with their national development priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). NDCs are critical tools for countries to align low-emission development with broader sustainability, socio-economic, and climate change adaptation goals.  They present an opportunity for countries to achieve low-emissions and climate-resilient development, and short- and medium-term actions needed to get there.   The 2023 NDC Synthesis Report, identified that a significant portion of NDCs are connected with the goal of shifting towards a sustainable, low-carbon, and resilient economy, considering social, environmental, and economic aspects along with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is particularly crucial for the African Region, where many countries have aligned their actions and support, but their actions and commitments do not get us to 1.5 degrees. It is important that as countries prepare for NDC 3.0, they consider factoring in the 1.5 degrees goal and carbon neutrality.   Key takeaways Increased awareness: Participants gained insights into integrating net-zero targets within national planning frameworks. Skill development: The workshop provided tools and knowledge to support the development and implementation of ambitious NDCs. Cross-country collaboration: The workshop fostered regional dialogue, offering a platform for open discussions, shared learning, and the formation of new partnerships. Technical exposure: Participants were introduced to new approaches and methodologies for the development of climate policies aligned with global goals. Practical application of learnings: Several policymakers expressed interest in integrating workshop insights into ongoing draft revisions of their NDC strategies. Network building: The workshop was an opportunity for participants to establish professional connections, potentially supporting a coherent approach to future regional climate initiatives.

On Wednesday, 26 June 2024, RCC EAS Africa will host a regional webinar to advance development of the NDCs 3.0. The Regional Collaboration Centre for East and Southern Africa supports governments in the region as they look to develop an ambitious third round of Nationally Determined Contributions in early 2025.   Objectives The webinar aims to facilitate space to exchange knowledge and experiences among East and Southern Africa countries regarding the challenges faced in the preparation and updating of NDCs. Through these sessions, we seek to identify common challenges, share best practices, and foster collaboration among the countries of the region. This webinar seeks to: Understand needs of Parties for the process to develop their NDCs 3.0 Identify successful practices and common challenges for NDC preparation and updates Provide suggestions that enhance ambition and enable implementation of the NDCs 3.0 Background It is a critical time as the next round of NDCs due in 2025 requires new and more ambitious NDCs from countries. The Global Stocktake (GST) outcome agreed at COP28 underlined that despite overall progress on mitigation, adaptation and means of implementation and support, Parties are not yet collectively on track towards achieving the purpose of the Paris Agreement and its long-term goals, and encouraged Parties to come forward with ambitious, economy-wide emission reduction targets, covering all greenhouse gases, sectors and categories and aligned with the 1.5°C limit in their next round of NDCs.    NDCs are submitted every five years to the UN Climate Change secretariat. This third round is due by February 2025. The previous round of NDCs shows that current efforts and plans are insufficient to put the world on track to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.   The latest science from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicates that greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced by 60% by 2035, compared to 2019 levels, and that adaptation and mitigation must be pursued with equal force and urgency to advance sustainable development for all.    The GST invited the secretariat including their Regional Collaboration Centres (RCCs) and organizations in a position to do so, to provide capacity-building support for the preparation and communication of the next NDCs.    The first generation, NDC 1.0, and the second generation, NDC 2.0, have yielded valuable insights through their implementation, which provides orientation for the development of the upcoming cycle, NDC 3.0. This platform will be instrumental in understanding the processes undertaken by each Party and how to progress towards achieving the goals outlined in Article 2 of the Paris Agreement, including in this new round of NDC 3.0 submissions. Drawing from challenges and best practices observed in the development and implementation of past NDCs, Parties can apply them in this new round of NDC 3.0 submissions nine to 12 months ahead of COP30.    

The 2023 RCC Annual Report is out: check out the RCCs' achievements per region!

The RCCs in Africa and our partners held a stakeholder validation workshop for the recent Africa LT-LEDS Landscape Study. The workshop opened an opportunity for countries, experts and other stakeholders to provide feedback and advance a comprehensive strategy that can enhance the capacity of African countries to align LT-LEDS and NDCs. The Regional Collaboration Centres serving East and Southern Africa, West and Central Africa, and Middle East and North Africa partnered with the African Group of Negotiators Experts Support (AGNES) and Climate Analytics to conduct a study on understanding the Long Term Low Emission Development Strategies landscape across Africa. The main objective of the study was to establish the state of play, challenges, and opportunities to enhance the development of LT-LEDS across the continent. Additionally, the study sought to identify best practices that would inform development of a guide that countries can use while elaborating LT-LEDS.   

RCC EAS Africa leads a project to build the capacities of women and gender negotiators in its region.

Regional development and implementing organizations discuss approaches for increased cooperation and coordination in providing support towards developing NDC 3.0

Long-Term Low Emission and Climate Resilient Development Strategies event, ACW 2023

RCC hosted a series of webinars in preparation for NDC 3.0

This study seeks to assist Eastern Africa countries with mitigation technologies and activities.

RCC EAS and WAC Africa hosted a Long-Term Low greenhouse gas Emission Development Strategies (LT-LEDS) regional capacity-building workshop for Africa

RCC EAS and WAC Africa co-organized a workshop on the margins of the Africa Climate Week 2023.

UN Climate Change Regional Collaboration Centres will host a webinar series on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement

This year's Africa Climate Week will take place from 4-8 September 2023 in Nairobi, hosted by the government of Kenya. ACW 2023 will be organized in parallel with the Africa Climate Summit on 4-6 September, also hosted by Kenya.

During each of the 2023 Climate Weeks, the UN Climate Change and its Regional Collaboration Centres will host Dialogues on Carbon Pricing, Article 6 Training, and DNA Forum

On 22 May 2023, UN Climate Change hosted a webinar about the Notification to Parties in Sub-Saharan Africa on the NDC and LT-LEDS Synthesis Reports.

In April, RCC East and Southern Africa co-organized a workshop to enable climate finance access in East Africa Community nations.    The East African Community (EAC) is home to over 284 million people living in seven Partner States, which includes Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, the United Republic of Tanzania and Uganda.   To equip officials from the Ministries of Environment, Finance and Regional Affairs with the necessary knowledge and skills to mobilize and access climate finance, UN Climate Change supported the EAC to hold a climate finance workshop on 17-19 April, in Arusha, Tanzania. The workshop built on the earlier support provided through the Needs Based Finance project (NBF), which developed a regional climate strategy and identified potential priority regional projects.  Workshop sessions discussed practical aspects of project preparation such as developing a theory of change, establishing a climate and regional rationale and identifying social and environmental risks. Climate funds and accredited entities provided initial feedback on three programs on Food Security, Water Security and Nature-Based Solutions, which were selected among the eight priority regional programs.  The training culminated in key inputs to be considered in advancing the pre-concepts into complete concept notes acceptable to the targeted funding institutions. UN Climate Change and collaborating partners are excited to continue supporting the EAC and its Partner States along this journey.   The workshop was delivered in collaboration with the Adaptation Fund, Green Climate Fund, Global Environmental Facility, and accredited entities such as the Africa Development Bank, International Fund for Agricultural Development, and United Nations Development Programme. This provided Partner States with first-hand information on existing funding windows, access modalities, priorities, and project cycles. This was an important step towards mobilizing the needed US$ 26 billion annually to meet EAC’s combined Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) ambitions. Visit the event page for more information.  

RCC Kampala in collaboration with International Organization for Migration produced a report mapping the policy integration of human mobility to key climate change and green economy policies. The full report can be found at the IOM Environmental Migration Portal. A short article on the study can be found at IOM Publications webpage. On 24th of February 2023, a report on ‘Integration of human mobility in Green Economy and related policies in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) region’ was published. The report looks at the key policies guiding climate action and green economy development and how human mobility considerations have been integrated in these. The study was done in collaboration between the UNFCCC Regional Collaboration Center (RCC) of Eastern and Southern Africa in Kampala and International Organization for Migration (IOM) East and Horn of Africa Office (EHoA). The study is a part of a multi-partner project on ‘Addressing drivers and facilitating safe, orderly, and regular migration in the contexts of disasters and climate change in the IGAD region’. The Need for Whole-of-Society Approaches to Address Climate Mobility The IGAD region is regarded as one of the most vulnerable to climate variability and change. Countries in the region are regularly affected by slow and sudden onset extreme weather and climatic processes and events, most commonly environmental and land degradation, drought, water level changes, rainfall variability, floods, landslides, and storms. These degrade ecosystems, reduce crop yields, and destroy habitable areas, livelihoods, jobs, business premises and other infrastructure. Different forms of human mobility (including displacement, migration, and planned relocation) to, from and within the IGAD region reflect the complex drivers and structural factors that often compel people to leave their country or homes of origin. The number of people migrating and those at risk of displacement is anticipated to increase in the coming years, considering projected population growth, constant environmental change, degradation, and an increase in the frequency and intensity of hazards associated with the adverse effects of climate change. Green economy policies can provide a framework to combine aspects of environmental protection and human mobility and human mobility’s contributions to sustainable development concretely. The report demonstrates the needs and opportunities related to the integration of human mobility in regional and national green economy related policies, including national development plans. The report finds that regardless of the strong climate action commitments in the region, the integration of human mobility into climate policy and green economy policy is often partial. Based on the identified issues, the report also maps best-practices and offers recommendations. Key recommendations include how to address: Strengthening of knowledge and evidence base for inclusive green economy policy-making and service delivery Reinforcement of whole-of-government approached to ensure policy coherence on ‘human mobility, climate  change, and green economy nexus’ Building of whole-of-society approach to green economy development through engagement and skills transfer The full report can be found on the IOM  Environmental Migration Platform. A short article on the study has been published in ‘Migration Policy Practice’ (p.31). The publication focuses on policy-oriented research and analysis, with the aim to contribute to a better understanding of the multidimensional aspects of migration and inform migration policies at the national, regional and international levels. The full open-access publication can be downloaded from the IOM Publications Platform.          

RCC Kampala launches the open online course with UN Development Programme in the UN Climate Change COP27 Pavilion

Africa Climate Week 2022 brought together youth to discuss implementation of the Paris Agreement

An Africa Climate Week 2022 event to enhance dialogue and action among stakeholders on human mobility and green development...

The EAC becomes the second sub-region to endorse a Climate Finance Access and Mobilization Strategy developed under the  Needs Based Finance project 

Governments from across Africa met at an Inter-Ministerial Conference on Migration, Environment and Climate Change held from 27 to 29 July in Kampala, Uganda to advance cooperation on climate change induced human mobility.

In February 2022, RCC Kampala is supporting the Earthshot Prize by seeking inspiring, inclusive and impactful solutions for nomination. The Earthshot Prize is a global environment prize designed to incentivize change and help repair our planet over the next ten years.

With the UN Climate Change conference to be held in Africa this year, RCC Kampala recently sat down with environmental scientist, climate change activist and YOUNGO Global South Focal Point Elizabeth Gulugulu to discuss youth leadership and participation on the road to COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, this November.

The first African nation with an updated NDC takes a step towards civil society access to climate finance One of the key success factors for unlocking climate action, and a priority of the COP26 Presidency and UN Climate Change, is mobilizing climate finance. Therefore, it was timely for Rwandan CSOs to build capacity to access climate finance in the first country in Africa with their enhanced NDC.

The CiACA initiative was launched by the UNFCCC secretariat following the historic Paris Agreement in order to offer assistance to countries willing to explore the use of economic instruments to achieve their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). Listen to Mr. James Grabert, Director, Mitigation Division.