HIGHLIGHTS FROM SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS’ NDC IMPLEMENTATION PLAN LAUNCH EVENT AND PARTNER ROUNDTABLE
NDC Partnership member, Saint Kitts and Nevis, launched its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) Implementation Plan on 12 April 2022 in Basseterre. The launch was followed with a Partner Roundtable on NDC implementation and financing to help fill the USD750 million resource gap.
The two-day event served to present the finalized NDC Implementation Plan to key stakeholders, demonstrate political commitment and harness momentum to kick off NDC implementation, strengthen intersectoral coordination, and outline roles and responsibilities related to NDC implementation across the different government and non-government entities. It also underlined the value of the NDC Implementation Plan (including its online component) as a coordination tool that can be adopted across other departments and facilitate strategic discussion around national climate action.
The NDC Partnership supported the development of the NDC Implementation Plan through Climate Analytics, building on the previous efforts from Climate Analytics and IRENA to update and enhance Saint Kitts and Nevis’ NDC and develop an initial implementation and financing strategy, which was submitted to the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat in October of 2021 ahead of the COP26 climate conference.
The events were well attended by a range of stakeholders from across the government, national and international partner organizations, private sector actors, and civil society—totaling nearly 500 participants across in-person and virtual audiences. Representatives from over 30 partner organizations attended the events, and speakers from the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)’s Regional Collaboration Center (RCC) in St. George’s presented on ongoing and upcoming regional initiatives to support NDC implementation.
The success of the NDC Implementation Plan depends on the establishment of an enabling framework for climate action comprising government incentives, an effective coordination mechanism, and enhanced local capacity to increase the pipeline of climate projects as priorities. To demonstrate support for the plan, the Minister of Energy and Deputy Prime Minister Honorary Shawn Richards underscored his ministry’s commitment to expand renewable resources for power generation and reduce systems losses, and highlighted current fiscal incentives and ongoing legislative amendments.
With a resource gap of USD750 million, Development Partners were reminded to indicate their existing and new support for the NDC priorities as circulated through the Partnership in March 2022. Participants weighed the significance of de-emphasizing concessional financing while promoting dedicated sustainable funds to address challenges and gaps. UNICEF, ECCB, RCC, IRENA, OECS, and the United Nations Regional Office already indicated their readiness to support St. Kitts and Nevis’ NDC implementation.
Reflecting on the NDC Partnership’s support to develop Saint Kitts and Nevis’ NDC Implementation Plan, the Minister of Environment, Honorary Eric Evelyn, noted, “We are delighted for the assistance we have received so far, and we look forward to the continued partnership. I cannot stress enough how important partnerships are and collaboration is in terms of moving this process forward.”
Additional Resources:
Government of St. Kitts and Nevis Press Release:
Recording of NDC Implementation Plan Launch Event (12 April 2022):
YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/bOSx6eReJRo
FACEBOOK: https://fb.me/e/2gmjJvRL4
Recording of Partner Roundtable (13 April 2022):
YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/_Dnky-MMxb0
FACEBOOK: https://fb.me/e/331omMCjT