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.
Credit: UN Climate Change
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.
