Supporting ambitious Intended Nationally Determined Contributions: Lessons learned from developing countries

Abstract

CDKN has been working with a range of expert organisations to provide technical assistance to nine developing countries as they prepare their INDCs for submission to the UNFCCC by October 2015. In this paper, Chris Dodwell and Emelia Holdaway of Ricardo-AEA with Kiran Sura and Helen Picot of CDKN summarise some of the key learning points that have emerged from this diverse experience.

The submission of INDCs United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is a unique opportunity for developing countries to influence the shape of the new international climate regime, at the same time as accelerating their national actions. They are a necessary foundation for a successful outcome from the 21st Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP21) in Paris in December, and will be vital for underpinning effective climate policies in the years to come.

Developing countries are placing a high priority on preparing their INDCs. INDCs present a real opportunity for developing countries to showcase the practical steps they have taken in recent years to mainstream climate change into their development strategies.

The authors conducted a series of interviews with people preparing INDCs in Bangladesh, Colombia, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Kenya, Pakistan, Peru, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and Uganda. This Working Paper sets out the five principal conclusions that emerge from these interviews: 1. Consider INDCs as statements of political ambition, both domestically and internationally. 2. Have a clear vision for the structure and content from the outset. 3. Build on existing policies, with targeted use of new analysis to fill knowledge gaps. 4. Build broad-based support across economic sectors through innovative approaches to consultation. 5. Make plans for effective implementation now, and consider how international support, finance and other mechanisms may adjust ambitions after 2015.

Citation

Dodwell, C.; Holdaway, E.; Sura, K.; Picot, H. Supporting ambitious Intended Nationally Determined Contributions: Lessons learned from developing countries. Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), (2015) 12 pp.

Supporting ambitious Intended Nationally Determined Contributions: Lessons learned from developing countries

Published 1 January 2015