RCC MENA and SA was established in February 2019 with the signing of an MoU between UN Climate Change and the World Green Economy Organization (WGEO), with the support of the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.
RCC MENA and SA is dedicated to the objectives of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Climate Change Agreement.
The Centre helps channel local, regional and global resources into climate action, to facilitate implementation of countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement, National Adaptation Plans, roadmaps for implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and other relevant policies and strategies of countries in the region.
RCC MENA and SA provides support to the region. The Centre:
- Combines on-the-ground presence with global reach through UN Climate Change and the network of RCCs
- Connects regional stakeholders, including youth, with the international climate change process
- Helps coordinate and align the regional response to climate change
- Creates and promotes partnerships, finding synergy and avoiding duplication of effort
- Organizes events and engagement, improving outreach to regional stakeholders
- Identifies gaps and barriers to effective implementation of NDCs, National Adaptation Plans and other national climate strategies and policies
- Provides technical support and creates technical capacity to ensure sustainability.
Countries supported by RCC MENA and SA:
| Algeria |
Bahrain |
Bangladesh |
| Bhutan |
Comoros |
Djibouti |
| Egypt |
India |
Iraq |
| Jordan |
Kuwait |
| Lebanon |
Libya |
Maldives |
| Mauritania |
Morocco |
Nepal |
| Oman |
Pakistan |
Qatar |
| Saudi Arabia |
Somalia |
Sri Lanka |
| State of Palestine |
Sudan |
Syria |
| Tunisia |
United Arab Emirates |
Yemen |
Project portfolio
RCC MENA and SA’s project portfolio consists of a range of projects designed to fill knowledge gaps in adaptation to climate change, create strategies to access climate finance, increase regional participation in global climate action, strengthen the capacity of youth to contribute to the regional and global response to climate change, and introduce new methodologies and tools to address climate change.
About the RCCs
UN Climate Change and six prominent partners are catalysing action on the ground through Regional Collaboration Centres combining climate change expertise with in‐depth local knowledge.
Set up to spread the benefits of the Clean Development Mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol, the RCCs have broadened their role since the adoption of the Paris Agreement to facilitate the implementation of countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions under that agreement
The RCCs facilitate national climate action through capacity-building, technical assistance and strategic networking — mobilizing know-how and resources to drive clean development.
In this context, the RCCs help the secretariat and its partners to deliver annual Regional Climate Weeks in Asia-Pacific, Africa, Latin-America and the Caribbean, and in the MENA region. The Climate Weeks are fast emerging as one of the most important platforms for bringing together regional stakeholders and support climate action at the regional level.
Explore more about the RCCs here.
