The NDC Partnership, the UNFCCC-IGES Regional Collaboration Centre for Asia and the Pacific based 
in Bangkok (RCC Bangkok) and the UNFCCC-WGEO Regional Collaboration Centre for the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia based in Dubai (RCC Dubai) organized the Workshop titled “Good Practices in NDC Update and Implementation: Challenges and Lessons Learned from Asia, the Middle East and North Africa” on 16-18 March 2021. The workshop was attended by over 120 participants from 30 countries in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. Opening remarks were delivered by Ken O’Flaherty, UK COP 26 Regional Ambassador to Asia-Pacific and South Asia, Romeo Bertolini, Head of the Bonn Office, Support Unit, NDC Partnership, and James Grabert, Director, Mitigation Division; Acting Director, Communication and Engagement Division, UNFCCC Secretariat. The key message from the opening segment was the urge to take ambitious climate actions by all actors as climate change still remains the greatest risk to human development for the rest of the century. 

Raising the global ambition of the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and ensuring thorough implementation of the increased mitigation and adaptation targets are necessary to limit global warming to 1.5°C. Many countries around the world have calibrated and enhanced the ambition of their NDC and submitted it to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat in 2020. In order to move quickly towards reducing global greenhouse gas emissions by 45% over the next decade and achieving global net-zero emissions in 2050, countries are now looking to formulate and execute their NDC implementation strategies, national adaptation plans, and other relevant national policies. 

This virtual workshop aims to provide an avenue for countries from Asia, Middle East, and North Africa to come together and share good practices and lessons learned from their NDC update process as well as a platform for peer-to-peer support. It also aims to provide an avenue for countries to share challenges and good practices in the NDC implementation process and to identify areas of cooperation between countries and development partners. The workshop consisted of presentations, panel discussions, and breakout sessions which cover cross-sectoral issues pertaining to the NDC update and implementation. 

OBJECTIVES  

TARGET PARTICIPANTS  

UNFCCC country focal points and NDC Partnership country focal points from the regions, including representatives of Ministries of Economy, Finance, National Planning and others  

Representatives from government agencies relevant to NDC Implementation  

Representatives from inter-governmental agencies and development partners relevant to NDC Implementation  

The Regional Climate Weeks are key meetings that will help build regional momentum for COP 26 in November and drive forward regional implementation of the Paris Agreement. Virtual Thematic Sessions will take place on 6-9 July, and Ministerial Sessions will take place on 6-7 September in Asia and the Pacific. The first-ever Middle East and North Africa Climate Week will be held on 2-3 March 2022. Hence, the final plenary session focused on getting perspectives from the development partners, countries, private sector of the NDC-related topics that can be further explored and implemented during the upcoming sessions at APCW and MENA Climate Week 2022.  

The closing remarks were delivered by Ambassador Janet Rogan, UK COP 26 Regional Ambassador for the Middle East and North Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Yasuo Takahashi, Executive Director, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Japan, and Mr. Abdul Rahim Sultan, Director General, World Green Economy Organization (WGEO).  

Workshop Summary will be shared with the participants as well as with broader audience soon. 

For more information about this event, do not hesitate to reach out to RCC Bangkok at rccbangkok@unfccc.int