1. Regional Conference EU for Climate Action & Sustainable Energy in the Neighbourhood South
Brussels, 20th March 2018
Implementing NDCs
Andrea Rizzo

2. ClimaSouth Policy Paper #4: Implementing Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in the South Mediterranean region
A comparative analysis of the status of NDC process among ClimaSouth countries
In line with ClimaSouth objectives to:
serve as climate knowledge building, management and dissemination hub for the ENI South region and beyond
support ClimaSouth countries with preparing for NDC implementation

3. Research objectives Provide recommendations for the road ahead
Review status of NDC process with a focus on six key topics
Identify main challenges and support needs
Provide recommendations for the road ahead
1) Planning for NDC implementation
2) Building institutional coordination to support the NDC process
3) Mainstreaming of NDC process into national processes
4) Alignment of NDC and SDG process
5) Communication of adaptation efforts and status of National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process
6) Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) systems to support NDC implementation

4. Methodology Research scope
Collection and review of information (NDC, NCs, BUR, NAP, etc)
Reference tool for governments, policy makers, researchers, practitioners, experts, potential financiers and the general public
Questionnaire guiding interview process
Interviews (better contextualization, complementarity with findings)
Preliminary discussion at CS Steering Committee in March 2017
Approval by Focal Points
Publication

5. Planning for NDC implementation
Examples of results achieved:
NDC review and implementation roadmap under preparation (Jordan)
Adoption of a National Plan to guide NDC implementation (Israel)
More ambitious NDC, sectoral plans under preparation (Morocco)

6. Planning for NDC implementation
Costing estimates included in NDCs of Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia
Increases awareness of their financial and capacity needs
Better positioning for attracting climate finance and support by reaching to the

7. Building institutional coordination to support the NDC process
Examples of institutional structures to support NDC process:
National Climate Committee (NCC) (Algeria)
National Council for Climate Change (NCCC) (Egypt)
Interministerial committee guided by the Ministry of Environment (Lebanon)
National Committee on Climate Change (NCCC) (Palestine)

8. Building institutional coordination to support the NDC process
Overarching challenges to operationalization of mechanisms in place:
lack of formalised arrangements amongst the key actors involved (i.e. internal distribution of specific tasks, reporting systems, legislative support);
insufficient internal technical capacity;
synergies between key stakeholders under development;
absence of sufficiently allocated financial resources.

9. Mainstreaming of NDC process
Example of NDC mainstreaming efforts:
Morocco’s NDC gives extensive account of the domestic policy processes identified as central to NDC implementation
7 key sectoral mitigation strategies with clear targets
Over 40 policy documents and strategies to foster resilience
4C Maroc

10. Alignment of NDC and SDG process
Explicit reference to SDGs in NDCs or specific pledges to support concerted implementation of the two processes: Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine
Overarching need to identify where synergies and potential trade-offs exist between the two agendas
Important to determine which actions can provide mutually benefitting outcomes that are also cost-effective and therefore more likely to be well received internationally

11. Communication of adaptation efforts and NAP process
All CS countries have chosen to include an adaptation component in their NDCs
No guidance yet on adaptation component of NDCs
No coherent approach to adaptation planning in ENI South region

12. Communication of adaptation efforts and NAP process
NAP process is underway in all CS countries
Palestine has submitted a full fledged NAP and formally linked it to its NDC process
Process initiated by Algeria, Israel Jordan and Morocco

13. MRV systems to support NDC implementation
All NDCs of CS countries include a reference to MRV
Lack of official guidance under PA and how it should interact with NDC process
Formulations vary in approach and sizes
i.e. Palestine’s NDC Implementation Roadmap providing a possible structure for a national MRV system for NDC implementation.

14. MRV systems to support NDC implementation
MRV capacity challenges:
Operationalize existing institutional frameworks (entities and processes for data collection, management and control);
Establishment of institutional arrangements to support the MRV process as well as its linkage to the NDC process;
Lack of appropriate legal frameworks coordinating MRV mandates, cross-sectoral reporting and GHG data flows;
Limited capacity to track climate finance flows and support;
Insufficient financial support from donors to address existing capacity-building gaps and needs.

15. Final recommendations
NDC review and costing analysis of NDC
Institutional structures to support NDC process and/or operationalization of structures already in place  NDC Implementation Plan
Continued mainstreaming of NDC process
Use next NDCs to also indicate delivery on SDGs
Communication of adaptation efforts (NDC, Adaptation communication, NAP)
Continued efforts to develop MRV systems to support NDC implementation, building on existing efforts

16. ClimaSouth website: www.climasouth.eu
Available on:
ClimaSouth website:
Cap4Dev:
EU Neighbours:
Climate Change Info Mailing List
No spoilers, recommendations included in the paper, which will be published in the next days, can be accessed and found on a number of resources, including CS website, capacity4dev, the climate change newsletter, euneighbors

17. Thank you! 