Collaboration, Commitment and Action: The NDC Partnership at COP28
The NDC Partnership was actively engaged across two weeks at COP28, where we once again hosted our pavilion to showcase and learn from the climate leadership of our diverse membership. The pavilion featured a rich program of over 60 events attended by more than 1,200 participants and streamed online, as well as shared via social media, to our broad network of members and partners. From exploring localized challenges in the Kyrgyz Republic to sharing lessons from long-term climate development strategies in Senegal and Nigeria, the Partnership’s events covered themes spanning finance, governance and strategic planning and delved into diverse topics such as food systems’ transformation and the water-climate nexus.
During four regional meetings with developing country members, speakers emphasized the importance of recognizing local circumstances in climate planning, while providing a platform for exchanging global, regional and local successes and challenges. Included in the Partnership’s dynamic programming was the Partnership’s high-level event: Leveraging the NDC Partnership's Model to Address the Challenges of the Global Stocktake. This flagship moment brought together government ministers and institutional leaders to discuss the transformational impact of the NDC Partnership’s model of collective action in addressing issues underscored through the Global Stocktake.
“We need groundbreaking coordination and a level of commitment yet unseen to accelerate support to countries,” said NDC Partnership Global Director Pablo Vieira. “The Partnership’s proven model delivers in this context and in this complex reality. Countries can only step up their ambition and implementation through significant technical and financial support. We commit to strengthen our collective efforts to support countries to accelerate climate action to take the Partnership to the next level together.”
“As a partnership, we stand together to scale up support to countries to deliver on the commitments they have made and align our support for increased ambition in the next round of NDCs,” said current NDC Partnership Co-Chair and Minister of Environment for Rwanda, Dr. Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya, in opening remarks. “The Partnership amplifies the impact of our membership, continuously increasing our support to countries to adapt to and mitigate climate change while fostering equitable and sustainable development.”
“Worldwide collaboration is crucial, and this Partnership is a shining example of what that can lead to,” remarked former NDC Partnership Co-Chair and the United Kingdom’s Minister of State, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Rt Hon. Graham Stuart MP. “During the UK's term as Co-Chair, we have seen more than 50 countries developing NDC Implementation Plans and tremendous efforts for members to create a more even balance between mitigation and adaptation. To help them aim even higher, we must meet developing countries' urgent need for technical assistance, capacity building and, of course, finance.”
As part of the Partnership’s effort to address the finance gap, the Partnership announced further efforts to unlock climate finance, including the launch of a new center with the UK Government that aims to generate and streamline solutions for climate-vulnerable countries and enable critical low-emission and climate-resilient development. Together with the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action, the Partnership presented plans to deepen strategic cooperation to offer targeted resources and expertise for Ministries of Finance to actively engage in the development of NDCs and Long-term Low Emission Development Strategies (LT-LEDS). Finally, the Partnership and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) launched an Investment Planning and Mobilization Framework, bringing together best practices and drawing upon the rich collective experience of both organizations to offer targeted resources and expertise for Ministries of Finance to actively engage in the development of NDCs and Long-term Low Emission Development Strategies (LT-LEDS).
The NDC Partnership worked closely with the UAE COP28 Presidency on several thematic areas that directly correlated with priorities identified in the Global Stocktake. These included advancing multilevel governance as a strategic partner in the COP28 Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnership (CHAMP) for Climate Action, aligning nature and climate agendas by endorsing the COP28 Joint Statement on Climate, Nature and People and strengthening the resilience of our food systems through the establishment of a COP28 Agriculture, Food and Climate National Action Toolkit.
With more than 220 members, the NDC Partnership is excited to build on the progress and momentum generated throughout 2023 and at COP28. The Partnership’s seventh Annual Members Forum, which offered a rare opportunity for members to connect and converse over dinner in the desert at Bab Al Shams, celebrated the strength of the coalition. At the forum, members celebrated the leadership of our outgoing Co-Chair, the United Kingdom, and the handover to Denmark, who will step in to work with Rwanda to steer the Partnership.
The Partnership will continue to accelerate country-driven responses to close the ambition, implementation and finance gaps highlighted by the Global Stocktake. We will achieve more, together, in 2024 as we continue to support countries to unlock and mobilize climate finance, helping countries to drive forward NDC implementation and develop and align NDCs and LT-LEDS to catalyze low-emission, sustainable development. To watch the Partnership’s high-level event or any of the programming from our COP28 pavilion, visit the live section of our YouTube channel for the full program of recorded events.