How Governments are Delivering Lasting Climate Action with Embedded Financial and Economic Support
Implementing third generation Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs 3.0) in emerging markets and developing countries, excluding China, will require an estimated USD 2.4 trillion annually by 2030. To mobilize investment at this scale, countries need robust public institutions capable of accessing, coordinating and managing climate flows, while directing finance to the areas where it can have the greatest impact.
Many countries are looking for sustained, in-country support that strengthens government functions and capacity for climate-informed economic and financial decision-making. Working within ministries of economy, finance and planning, central banks and other public institutions, embedded advisors help ministries integrate climate considerations into government decision-making, build their capacity to plan investments and mobilize finance and ensure climate priorities are reflected in how countries plan for growth and development.
The overall demand for embedded expertise has grown. The NDC Partnership has expanded its embedded advisory support from more than 50 advisors deployed during 2020–2022 to 156 advisors deployed across 57 countries as of early 2026, with 107 of these serving as financial and economic advisors.
The following examples show how these advisors support the development of sustained knowledge, systems and capacity to make climate-informed economic and financial decisions and deliver long-term climate action.
Climate at the Center of Government Planning and Decision-Making
Countries are best positioned to implement NDCs when climate priorities are integrated into government planning, budgeting and investment.
Embedded advisors support ministries of finance, planning and environment, enabling countries to connect climate policy with economic and fiscal planning and resource mobilization. In practice, this means helping governments integrate climate risks and opportunities into public investment planning, strengthen climate expenditure tracking and introduce climate screening into investment appraisal processes to inform how public resources are allocated.
In Jordan, the advisor, embedded within the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, supported the revision of national public investment management guidelines to enable systematic screening of investment projects for “climate relevance.” Working closely with the Ministry of Environment and other government institutions, the advisor also helped integrate climate considerations across sectoral investment planning, revised investment guidelines and built government capacity on climate-sensitive budgeting and investment appraisal. Together, these efforts enable Jordan to assess and prioritize climate-related investments across sectors, including water, energy and transport.
Similarly, in the Dominican Republic, the embedded advisor strengthened coordination between government institutions while helping to introduce climate markers within the national budgeting system. These reforms strengthened climate-related expenditure tracking, institutionalizing climate within budgeting processes to provide continuity across government transitions.
Continuity Through Institutional Change
Implementing NDCs is a long-term undertaking that extends across changes in political leadership, ministerial structures and national priorities. Maintaining progress requires institutions that can preserve knowledge, sustain coordination and continue implementation throughout these transitions.
Working alongside government officials over extended periods, embedded advisors provide continuous on-the-job support that helps build skills, strengthen institutional knowledge and reinforce the systems governments need to sustain implementation. Rather than create parallel structures, they help embed expertise within government institutions while building officials’ capacity to lead and maintain reforms independently.
This hands-on support has helped countries establish dedicated climate finance units (CFUs) and develop brokerage facilities that connect investment-ready projects with financing opportunities.
In Mozambique, an embedded advisor within the Ministry of Economy and Finance helped establish a CFU that now serves as a central platform for coordinating national climate finance planning and mobilization while engaging technical assistance partners and financiers, including the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The advisor also strengthened collaboration between the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Environment, helping align national climate finance priorities and reinforcing government capacity to coordinate implementation over the long term.
In Colombia, embedded support helped establish the Climate Finance Broker Facility, which connects climate projects with financing opportunities. As climate finance coordination responsibilities expanded, the systems established with support from the embedded advisor were integrated into a permanent government function. This helped ensure that both the institutional arrangement and the technical expertise remained anchored within government over the long term.
Responding to Evolving Country Demand
With NDC implementation as a priority, governments are increasingly requesting support to integrate climate priorities into routine planning, budgeting and investment decisions rather than treating climate action as a separate or standalone process.
As countries gain a clearer understanding of the institutional and financial barriers affecting implementation, requests for embedded advisory support are becoming more specialized and longer term, particularly in areas such as climate finance coordination, investment planning, sectoral implementation and institutional reform. This reflects growing recognition that effective implementation depends on strengthening the government systems that underpin climate action.
The NDC Partnership’s 2026–2030 Work Program — a roadmap guiding the NDC Partnership’s work for the current ambition cycle — reflects this evolution. Priorities include integrating advisory roles more closely into government institutions, supporting longer-term public sector capacity building across institutions and expanding opportunities for peer learning across countries and regions.
As the network of embedded advisors grows, governments are also benefiting from increased exchange of practical experience. Lessons from one country — such as climate budget tagging approaches or climate screening tools for public investment planning — can increasingly be adapted and applied elsewhere, allowing countries to build on proven approaches while tailoring them to national contexts.
Meeting the Demand for Embedded Support
The increased demand for embedded advisory support reflects a shared recognition that lasting climate action depends on strong institutions with effective systems and capacity to sustain action beyond a single project or political cycle.
By supporting countries in strengthening coordination, building expertise and embedding climate considerations into planning, budgeting and investment processes, embedded advisors help establish the institutional foundations needed for NDC 3.0 implementation and long-term climate action. Their growing role highlights the importance of investing in the institutional capacity that makes those outcomes sustainable.
To learn more about the NDC Partnership’s embedded advisory approach, contact the NDC Partnership Support Unit.