This NDC Partnership Thematic Call builds on the Climate Action Enhancement Package (CAEP) to support developing member countries in two key, interconnected fronts: preparing, updating and refining Long-term Low Emissions Development Strategies (LT-LEDS) and enhancing the quality and increasing the ambition of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The aim is to advance LT-LEDS and NDCs, while fostering alignment between the two instruments and developing capacities for their sustained implementation.
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BACKGROUND
Despite global progress, there is a critical need for increased ambition as current NDC pledges alone are insufficient to meet the 1.5°C target established in the Paris Agreement. Raising global climate ambition requires aligning LT- LEDS with NDCs.
To avoid a high-climate risk future with catastrophic consequences, we need to make immediate, transformational shifts in policy and investment. The Glasgow Climate Pact agreed on at COP26 presents an opportunity for countries to identify and prioritize systemic changes through robust LT-LEDS that connect to NDC processes and, more broadly, that guide national development toward long-term resilience and just transitions to net-zero emissions by or around mid-century. Launching these transitions requires countries understand and weigh policy implications and related reforms, identify finance needs, and develop enabling frameworks to mobilize investment.
WHAT THE THEMATIC CALL DELIVERS
The main goal of the Thematic Call is to facilitate, leverage, and coordinate support for the transition towards climate-compatible development. Efforts will focus on developing and refining LT-LEDS, and on aligning short- and medium-term planning with their proposed development pathways to unlock NDC ambition.
Two Interconnected and Complementary Tracks
To foster higher climate ambition now and for future update and enhancement cycles, this Thematic Call will focus on two interconnected and complementary tracks, focused on promoting synergies between NDCs and LT-LEDS processes, decisions, and institutional arrangements, and on making their interlinkages visible and operational:
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LT-LEDS Track: Development and update of Long-term Low Emission Development Strategies referred to in Article 4, paragraph 19, of the Paris Agreement: crafting the vision and strategies for long-term low emission and climate resilient development, understanding its benefits, challenges, and trade-offs; and putting in place actionable policies and plans to kick-start this development transition in a fair and sustainable manner.
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NDC Enhancement Track: Enhancing and raising the ambition of updates to the NDCs, alignment with LT-LEDS and with the 1.5°C temperature target by providing countries with technical, financial, and capacity-development support.
Figure 1 shows the two interconnected tracks on LT-LEDS and NDC Enhancement and the three cross-cutting streams, which will be covered next.
Figure 1. Tracks and cross-cutting support streams.
Three Cross-Cutting Support Streams
Stream 1 - Preparatory Support
Preparatory support focuses on understanding the full LT-LEDS and NDC update and enhancement processes in full scope from the outset and planning coordinated interventions that complement ongoing support. Through this stream, countries can request support for strategically planning their LT-LEDS development in alignment with their NDC update and enhancement processes.
This support will also prepare countries to submit comprehensive and well-coordinated requests at a later stage of the Thematic Call. Unless they lay out a plan for LT-LEDS development or an NDC update roadmap, all countries without a LT-LEDS will be required to access Preparatory Support as a condition for request submission under funding streams 2 and 3 of the Thematic Call. Preparatory support will be provided in collaboration with 2050 Pathways Platform and the UNFCCC Secretariat.
Stream 2 – Development, Update and Ambition Enhancement
Under this stream, the focus will be on building long-term, low emissions strategies, drawing from existing updated NDCs and other development objectives and policies. This stream focuses on countries that have developed an LT-LEDS and wish to refine it, either in terms of content, or through a more inclusive process that links to the NDC to ensure more robust and ambitious outcomes.
Likewise, drawing on lessons learned from CAEP, Stream 2 will provide countries with resources and expertise needed to fill critical gaps for updating NDC targets and, ultimately, raise their NDC ambition.
Stream 3 – Promoting Long-Term Transformation and Action
This stream will be limited to those policies that directly contribute to an LT-LEDS and are beyond current NDCs ambition. Countries without an LT LEDS, however, may request support under Stream 1 and 2, and place a request for Support under Stream 3 once an LT-LEDS is in place.
HOW TO REQUEST SUPPORT THROUGH THE THEMATIC CALL
Submit Pre-Screening Form (PSF)
To request support for the Thematic Call, please fill out and submit this Pre-Screening Form. Countries should include the below information:
- Their overarching objective,
- The current status of their NDC and LT LEDS, and
- The specific areas they are interested in receiving assistance.
The goal of the form is to review any relevant background information pertaining to the country’s request and to better understand how the NDC Partnership can support the country. The Support Unit may follow up with the primary contact included on the form if clarification is needed following the form submission. Once the Pre-Screening Form is completed and approved, countries can start working on the Full Request for Support form.
Note: there will be one form per country, even if there are multiple engaged institutions. Pre-Screening Forms will be received on a rolling basis.
Submit a full Request for Support form (RSF)
Upon submission of the Pre-Screening Form, countries are invited to submit the full Request for Support form with the assistance of the Support Unit. The RSF will include greater detail about the nature of the country request, including:
- The objectives of the request
- Activities and deliverables
- Estimated costs
- Timeframes
- Existing support
Request for Support Forms will be accepted on a rolling basis, compiled and shared periodically with NDC Partnership Development and Implementing Partners as a package. There are no set deadlines for the presentation of the RSF. Approximately, RSFs should be ready between 4-6 weeks after the submission/completion of the PSF.
Prepare a Joint Workplan
Regardless of the funding source, support will be coordinated and delivered through a Joint Workplan: a dynamic document that will outline the support requested by the country, and detail the support providers, expected deliverables, timelines, and budgets.
The Joint Workplan will be developed by the country, the NDC Partnership and the partners that are providing the support requested. The timeframe will depend on the offers received by partners.
HOW TO OFFER SUPPORT THROUGH THE THEMATIC CALL
Review PSF/RSF and Offer Support
Partners are invited to indicate their interest in supporting countries through the Thematic Call with their own resources or via complementary funding from the Partnership Action Fund (PAF).
Partners indicating interest in accessing PAF funds will be invited to prepare proposals for unsupported requests only. Proposals will be selected based on an objective evaluation process.
For an early engagement, we encourage partners to respond to the PSF through a non-binding Expression of Interest (EoI).