RCC MENA and SA mobilizes regional partners for the NDCs 3.0

 
In early May 2024, RCC MENA and SA brought together more than 15 partners in the region to connect countries with support for the NDCs 3.0. This meeting was convened as part of a global series of partner meetings to develop ambitious NDCs by early 2025. Connecting governments with support for NDC development can increase confidence needed to make bold commitments and accelerate implementation. 
 

Background

The Paris Agreement requires all Parties to prepare, communicate and maintain successive Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) that it intends to achieve. The NDCs are the main vehicle for countries to express their climate ambition and actions, and to align them with their national development priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals. Decisions 6/CMA.3 and 1/CMA.5 require new and more ambitious NDCs from countries to be developed and submitted in 2025, with targets until 2035. In addition to being more ambitious, it is important for  NDCs 3.0 to be country-owned, country-driven, implementable, and well-positioned to unlock financing. 

The first Global Stocktake (GST) outcome 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. As such, 43 percent emission reduction is needed by 2030 relative to 2019 levels, 60 percent emission reduction is needed by 2035, and net zero emissions by 2050. The outcome therefore encouraged Parties to come forward with ambitious, economy-wide emission reduction targets, covering all greenhouse gases, sectors and categories. The GST decision also emphasized the need for collective efforts by inviting the UN Climate Change Secretariat, including through the RCCs, and other organizations in a position to do so, to provide capacity-building support for the preparation and communication of the next NDCs.  

Numerous partners are active in providing NDC preparation and implementation support to countries in the MENA region, including support for data and analysis, policy and planning, finance and investment, capacity building, and stakeholder engagement. This regional partner meeting is a follow-up to the global support workshop on NDCs convened by the UNFCCC secretariat in early March 2024 in Bonn, Germany. At that meeting, partners put together a framework to inform the NDC 3.0 support ecosystem.
 

Credit: UN Climate Change

Objectives

• To have a common understanding of the development organizations’ support currently available for countries in the MENA region on NDC preparation and NDC implementation. 

• To identify where development organizations portfolios and initiatives have synergetic opportunities and complement each other on NDCs, to have more effective delivery at the country level. 

• To collaborate on efforts, initiatives, and activities to scale-up support for NDCs in the MENA region, taking into account the collective regional experience of development partners, and considering regional priorities and context. 
   

Way Forward

RCC MENA and SA will convene regular meetings to continue the discussions and collaborations on the way forward for the region to develop ambitious NDCs 3.0 in the MENA region, as well as facilitate synergies for enhanced support on NDCs.