Background

Effective responses to combat climate change require the mobilization of innovation and action at all levels of government, enterprise and civil society, with participation of non-Party stakeholders (NPS) in the work of the UN Climate Change affirmed in the decision adopting the Paris Agreement. Non-party stakeholders, including civil society organizations, the private sector, financial institutions, subnational governments, local communities and Indigenous peoples, have a specific role in sharing experiences, cooperating in the implementation of national climate efforts and catalyzing actions to strengthen adaptation and mitigation initiatives.

The Paris Agreement’s recognition of the importance of engagement of all levels of government, and subsequent decisions on multilevel engagement, including the establishment of the High Level Champions at COP21 and the establishment of the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action at COP22, the introduction of the Talanoa Dialogue process at COP23, and the COP26 Glasgow Climate Pact, all evidence the need for engagement and action by all levels of society, public and private, to combat climate change. COP27 dedicated a section of its cover decision to the role of NPS in enhancing implementation. In the Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan, Parties recognized the need to further strengthen accountability of voluntary initiatives, including through the Global Climate Action portal (also known as the Non-State Actor Zone for Climate Action (NAZCA) platform). Parties also welcomed the recommendations on credible net-zero pledges by the UN High-Level Expert Group on Net Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities (HLEG). In the outcome of the first global stocktake, Parties and NPS were urged to join efforts to accelerate delivery, and Parties at COP29 welcomed the Marrakech Partnership and extended the term of the High-Level Champions until 2030.

As countries are now preparing their next Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for submission in 2025, the inclusion of NPS is critical to ensure that there is accurate assessment of progress and identification of gaps, as well as acceleration of implementation and raising ambition. Moreover, as countries move ahead with developing the NDCs 3.0, it is important to simultaneously focus on the implementation of NDCs. With the large climate finance gap, it is important for countries to explore the “investability” of NDCs and strive to scale up implementation, including supporting project preparation, pipeline development, aggregation of projects, new financial instruments or policy reform.

The webinar was hosted by RCC Caribbean in partnership with NDC Partnership, UNDP and UNEP on 7 March from 10:00 to 11:30 AST | 8:00-9:30 CST | 15:00- 16:30 CET.

Objectives

1. This webinar will focus on the “investability” and “implementability” of NDCs using global tools and principles. It aims to provide a platform that fosters a constructive dialogue on the engagement of NPS in the development and implementation of NDCs while showcasing innovative climate solutions.
2. To discuss potential mechanisms that can improve NPS engagement in the NDCs, including inter alia, through the Climate High Level Champions 2030 Climate Solutions, NDC compendium and the Global Climate Action Portal and identify key challenges limiting the effectiveness of stakeholder participation.
3. To explore the elements of enabling environments that take into account regional, national and local circumstances and increase the role of NPS in shaping and contributing to climate action, working not only with countries, but the entire climate action ecosystem.
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Key insights and takeaways

• Economy-wide Implementable NDC targets: For countries to come forward in their next NDCs with ambitious, economy wide emission reduction targets, they need to develop targets based on what is implementable and seek to include NPS in the target setting discussions. Economy-wide signifies all sectors which include the involvement of NPS.
• Inclusive NDCs: There is wide recognition that the level of NPS participating in the NDC 3.0 preparation process is higher now compared to the previous NDCs, which focused largely on the energy sector. Inclusivity refers to a whole-of-society approach with wider participation of local communities, CSOs, private sector, financial institutions, subnational governments and more recently indigenous peoples, trade unions, churches, car dealerships and other institutions that had not previously participated.
• Increased Public Awareness: Although the participation of NPS in national climate discussions has improved, there is need for ongoing and increased dissemination of information on climate policies and actions to continue attracting NPS. For example, the mechanisms established for public engagement on national development priorities should be used for the NDC discussions and sectoral consultations should be considered as appropriate. NPS could be used to amplify the voice of the NDC process.  
• Financing NDCs: NDCs should be developed based on what is implementable and climate financing pathways need to be identified during the NDC design process. This includes the development of financing strategies including NDC implementation plans and investment plans. One recommendation is to coordinate with private sector using government ambitions as a driver.
• Plans turned into implementable and bankable projects: countries are encouraged to utilize existing tools, databases and facilities to identify opportunities for project development and identification of climate financing to support NDC preparation. This will ultimately lead to a wider inclusion of NPS in the NDC process.
• Resilience and Adaptation in NDCs: Caribbean SIDS are on the frontlines of climate change making adaptation and resilience building extremely important and a necessary priority. There is a lot to learn from NPS, specifically indigenous peoples on applying local knowledge practices into adaptation.
• Engaging NPS in the Caribbean and Leveraging Their Contributions: To achieve NDC targets, national governments in the Caribbean should engage with NPS across the region who are already willing and available to understand how best they can support the countries. For example: NPS may have a lot to contribute in terms of data collection and analysis and should be included in the transparency related activities, modeling and projections and tracking of targets in MRV systems. In addition, regional financial institutions have committed to supporting the countries and developing more projects that include the private sector, and countries may be able to captalize on this offer.
• NDC design and implementation are not to be considered as two separate or independent processes, the two are complementary and should be addressed together. Outlined below are a few strategies that can be considered to increase NPS involvement in NDC design and implementation:
  • Conducting sectoral reviews
  • Establishing stakeholder coordinating teams
  • Engage in continuous dialogues with relevant stakeholders
  • Accommodate for remote participation when necessary and feasible
  • Utilize social media platforms for reaching a wider community of NPS