In the first phase of the project the TWGCC produced an assessment of the EAC needs, priorities, current flows and barriers to access and mobilization of climate finance. Based on this assessment, a regional Strategy, implementation plan and pipeline of priority projects, was developed.

The Strategy includes four strategic areas:

1. Strengthening capacity-building to enhance national and regional climate finance skills;
2. Enhancing capacity and mechanisms at national and regional level for the coordination, development and implementation of mitigation and adaptation projects or development projects with climate change co-benefits;
3. Enhanced enabling environment for mobilizing funding and catalyzing public and private investment; and
4. Identifying and mobilizing effective, innovative and appropriate additional finance for priority actions.

Under each area are specific actions such as training of local expertise, advocating for relevant policy reviews and alignment, establishing important exchange platforms, and supporting new financial products and services.

At the meeting in Zanzibar a ten-year implementation plan was discussed, together with the appropriate institutional arrangements and stakeholder engagements. The meeting was also attended development partners who indicated their support in the implementation phase of this collective effort with representatives from the African Development Bank, East African Development Bank, GIZ, and USAID who highlighted some existing opportunities that Partner States could harness.

Moving ahead, the EAC will finalize the implementation plan and pipeline of priority projects as the Strategy undergoes political endorsement first by the Sectoral Council and then the Council during 2022. Implementation of the Strategy by EAC with development partners can then begin.

Please contact: rcckampala@unfccc.int for more information.

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Background 

In November 2019, the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat signed a Letter of Exchange with the UNFCCC secretariat for the implementation of the Needs-based Finance project (NBF) – a project launched by the UNFCCC secretariat in response to the Conference of Parties’ Long-term finance decision, 6/CP.23, para 10. The project seeks to facilitate improved access to and mobilization of climate finance for the implementation of priority climate mitigation and adaptation projects identified by the six Partner States of EAC. (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania, and Uganda).

The first phase of the NBF project, situation analysis, concluded with the development of the Technical Assessment report on regional climate finance needs, current international public climate finance flows, and identification of gaps. This was informed by official documents countries submitted to the UNFCCC secretariat, and inputs from the Partner States at the inception and pre-validation workshops (February and December 2020). In the second phase of the NBF project, the technical assessment report was used as a basis for the development of (1) the ten-year Regional Climate Finance Mobilisation and Access Strategy (‘the Strategy’), (2) its Implementation Plan and (3) Pipeline of priority projects/programmes/initiatives, which were reviewed (in April 2021) and validated (in June 2021) by the Partner States. The Strategy identifies thirty strategic actions under five strategic areas of intervention which include: (1) strengthening human/technical capacities, (2) institutional/coordination capacities, (3) catalysing private investment, (4) promoting innovative financing mechanisms, and (5) scaling up existing initiatives. To ensure the most impactful realisation of the Strategy’s intended outcomes, the EAC Secretariat seeks to inform and engage the EAC Climate Change Technical Working Group (CCTWG). The initial processes brought together representatives from Ministries of Finance, Environment and EAC Affairs, the EAC Secretariat and UNFCCC secretariat. After intensive collaboration with relevant ministries of Partner States during the first stages of the NBF project, this technical working group engagement is important to endorse and widen the undercharging of the Strategy, Projects pipelines and the ongoing activities and incoming plans.

To initiate the implementation of the proposed actions, and mobilization of the required funding, ministerial endorsement of the Strategy is required. Therefore, the EAC Secretariat is convening the EAC Climate Change Technical Working Group to obtain approval to proceed with the political endorsement of the Strategy.

Further, elaboration and agreement on the draft Implementation Plan (2) and Pipeline of Priorities (3) is required to enable commencement of the work.

Purpose of the Climate Change Technical Working Group (CCTWG) meeting

The CCTWG is to review and finalize the Regional Climate Finance Strategy and recommend its political endorsement by the EAC Sectoral Council of Ministers – at their March 2022 session. Further, the CCTWG will elaborate and agree on the draft Implementation Plan and Pipeline of Priority Projects.

Specifically, the nominated experts were mandated to:

1. Review and agree on the final scope and actions proposed by the Strategy.

2. Finalize the implementation plan, that is:

    a) Agree on institutional arrangements for the implementation and monitoring of the Strategy and the         
         specific initiatives proposed in the Strategy;
    b) Define the roles and responsibilities for Partner States and the EAC Secretariat in Strategy        
         implementation;
    c) Define and prioritize expected outcomes for each action;
    d) Agree timelines and identify resource requirements.

3. Agree on an approach and plan to advance the development of project pipelines, i.e. timelines for concepts and full proposal development and engagement of national experts and stakeholders.

Mode of the Meeting

The CCTWG meeting took place in Zanzibar (in-person). Participation is mainly for nominated experts from Ministries of Environment, Finance and EAC Affairs. A few development partners were invited to allow Partner States to initiate a discussion on how they collaborate with the EAC in the implementation of the Strategy. The EAC Secretariat and UNFCCC secretariat teams supported the CCTWG in preparing a meeting report and incorporating their recommendations into the documents under review. In accordance with the EAC’s rotating Chair, the meeting was chaired by the Republic of Kenya.

Programme