A comprehensive overview of the capacity-building efforts undertaken by various constituted bodies established under the Convention, its Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement. These bodies play a crucial role in providing technical assistance and support to Parties, helping them meet their climate goals and enhance their resilience to climate change. Below, we outline the key bodies involved in these efforts and their specific contributions.

Adaptation Committee

The Adaptation Committee (AC) provides technical support and guidance to the Parties in two main areas: adaptation action and means of implementation, which encompasses finance, technology and capacity-building.

Article 6.4 Supervisory Body

The Article 6.4 Supervisory Body oversees the implementation of the Article 6 capacity-building programme, aiming to develop technical capacity to meet the requirements of the Article 6.4 mechanism and design baselines for application in Parties hosting climate mitigation activities under cooperative approaches.

Clean Development Mechanism Executive Board

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Executive Board offers capacity-building support to a wide range of stakeholders, including designated national authorities (DNAs), to facilitate the transition of CDM activities to the Article 6.4 mechanism.

Consultative Group of Experts

The Consultative Group of Experts (CGE) is the primary channel for providing technical assistance and support to developing country Parties in fulfilling their reporting requirements concerning measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) under the Convention and the enhanced transparency framework (ETF) under Article 13 of the Paris Agreement.

Facilitative Working Group of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform

The Facilitative Working Group (FWG) of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIPP) aims to operationalize the LCIPP and facilitate the implementation of its three functions related to knowledge, capacity for engagement, and climate change policies and actions. 

Katowice Committee of Experts on the Impacts of the Implementation of Response Measures

The Katowice Committee of Experts on the Impacts of the Implementation of Response Measures (KCI) facilitates and builds capacity on the identification, development, customization, and use of tools and methodologies to assess the impacts of the implementation of response measures.

Least Developed Countries Expert Group

The Least Developed Countries Expert Group (LEG) provides technical guidance and support to LDCs on the process of formulating and implementing national adaptation plans (NAPs), the preparation and implementation of national adaptation programmes of action (NAPAs), and the implementation of the LDC work programme. The LEG also offers technical guidance and advice on accessing funding from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to support the formulation and implementation of NAPs.

Paris Committee on Capacity-building

The Paris Committee on Capacity-building (PCCB) addresses current and emerging gaps and needs in implementing and further enhancing capacity-building in developing countries.

Warsaw International Mechanism Executive Committee and the Santiago Network

The Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM) Executive Committee provides technical support and guidance on approaches to address loss and damage associated with climate change impacts, including extreme events and slow onset events. The Santiago network aims to catalyze technical assistance of relevant organizations, bodies, networks, and experts for the implementation of relevant approaches for averting, minimizing and addressing loss and damage at the local, national and regional levels in developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change

Standing Committee on Finance

The Standing Committee on Finance (SCF) addresses capacity-building mainly in the context of SCF forums, which provide a platform for a wide range of stakeholders to discuss topics of interest related to climate finance and promote linkages and coherence in the mobilization and delivery of climate finance.

Technology Executive Committee and the Climate Technolgy Centre and Network

The Technology Executive Committee (TEC) plays a key role in supporting countries to identify climate technology policies that help them achieve the Agreement’s objectives. The Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) provides technology solutions, capacity building, and advice on policy, legal, and regulatory frameworks tailored to the needs of individual countries by harnessing the expertise of a global network of technology companies and institutions.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has established several initiatives and work programmes to enhance capacity-building across different climate-related areas. These efforts aim to empower countries, communities, and individuals to effectively address and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Below are some initiatives and work programmes:

Action for Climate Empowerment

Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) aims to empower all members of society to engage in climate action, through the six ACE elements - climate change education and public awareness, training, public participation, public access to information, and international cooperation on these issues.

Capacity-building work programme for implementing Article 6 of the Paris Agreement

The Article 6 capacity-building work programme has been developed to identify institutional needs such as strengthening the infrastructure and knowledge base, ensuring the availability of well-structured information that is easy to understand by all stakeholders, identifying appropriate types of capacity building and enhancing technical capacity for determining baseline, monitoring and reporting.

Enhanced Lima Work Programme on Gender

The Enhanced Lima Work Programme on Gender aims to advance knowledge and understanding of gender-responsive climate action.

Nairobi Work Programme

The Nairobi Work Programme (NWP) strives to assist all Parties, in particular developing countries, including the least developed countries and small island developing states, to improve their understanding and assessment of impacts, vulnerability and adaptation, and to make informed decisions on practical adaptation actions and measures to respond to climate change on a sound, scientific, technical and socioeconomic basis, taking into account current and future climate change and variability.

Training programmes for expert reviewers

The training programme for expert reviewers enables technical experts to participate in various activities related to the assessment and analysis of the information, such as biennial transparency reports, submitted by all Parties under the Convention and the Paris Agreement.

An overview of capacity-building support provided by the operating entities of the Financial Mechanism and the Adaptation Fund Board.

Green Climate Fund

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) provides capacity-building support in the context of its Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme, providing financial support to developing countries in UNFCCC-defined priority areas for capacity-building including: institutional capacity-building; enhancement and/or creation of an enabling environment; national climate change programmes; vulnerability and adaptation assessment; capacity-building for the implementation of adaptation measures; and education, training and public awareness. It provides support to its national designated authorities and national focal points to prepare their strategic frameworks, including country programmes, and to develop GCF programme pipelines on mitigation and adaptation. The GCF also supports countries in developing country-specific strategic frameworks for engagement with the GCF, building on existing strategies and plans, providing support for the formulation of national adaptation plans and providing guidance to countries on the formulation of adaptation planning and readiness proposals.

Global Environmental Facility 

The Global Environmental Facility (GEF) aims to enhance the abilities of developing countries by providing resources through supporting the preparation of Technology Needs Assessments; support initiatives as part of the country support program; and transparency-related activities under the Capacity-building initiative for transparency (CBIT). GEF projects support institutional development and strengthening, vulnerability and adaptation assessments, the development of national climate change programmes, the implementation of adaptation measures, research and systemic observation through climate information systems, and public awareness and education programmes.

Adaptation Fund  

The Adaptation Fund (AF) Readiness Programme for Climate Finance aims to help strengthen the capacity of national and regional implementing entities to receive and manage climate financing, particularly through the Fund’s Direct Access modality, and to adapt and build resilience to counter changing climate conditions in sectors ranging from agriculture and food security to coastal zones and urban areas. The AF also offers technical assistance grants for its national implementing entities (NIEs) to help strengthen their capacity to address and manage environmental and social risks and gender considerations. It also organizes readiness workshops to raise awareness and enable the exchange of information on the Adaptation Fund’s environmental, social, and gender policies.