NDC Partnership

Last updated: June 2025

The NDC Partnership

Implementing nationally determined contributions together and updating to raise ambition The NDC Partnership

A digitally designed transparent globe and icons symbolising sustainability float in front of a partially clouded sky.

By signing the Paris Agreement at the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference, the global community declared its intention to limit the average rise in temperatures worldwide to under 2°C, and ideally to 1.5°C, compared with pre-industrial levels. This aims to ensure the ecological, social and economic impacts of climate change stay manageable.

Nationally determined contributions as a central component in reducing greenhouse gas emissions

A key instrument for achieving these targets are the signatory parties’ nationally determined contributions (NDCs). In its individual NDC, each country describes how it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and which measures it will implement to adapt to climate change. The signatory countries are also required to formulate and communicate long-term strategies (LTS) for development that achieve low greenhouse gas emissions.

The Paris Agreement requires state parties to update and improve their nationally determined contributions every five years, with the aim of increasing their level of ambition during every cycle. Each NDC submission aims to progress further than the last and reflect the maximum level of ambition on the part of the respective country. For the current cycle (NDCs covering the period up to 2035), many countries are still in the process of updating their submissions, which is expected to be completed by the UNFCCC COP 30 in November 2025 at the latest.

The International Climate Initiative (IKI) takes a number of approaches to support implementation and ambition-raising for NDCs, such as by promoting global initiatives, for example. Significant work in this context is being completed by the NDC Partnership.

Purpose and aims of the NDC Partnership

The NDCp Partnership was formed in 2016 by the German Government together with other advanced, emerging and developing economies, and multilateral organisations. As a global initiative, the NDC Partnership aims to support the implementation of nationally determined contributions, their ambition-raising and their orientation towards long-term strategies within the context of the Paris Agreement.

When an emerging or developing country joins the NDC Partnership, it can request the support it needs to update and implement its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Based on these requests, the development partners and implementing organisations within the Partnership provide a tailored package of expertise, technical assistance, and financing.

The NDCP currently has more than 200 members, including developing, emerging and advanced economies, as well as international organisations, development banks and associate members. A 15-member Steering Committee directs and manages NDCP activities. Day-to-day business is conducted by a secretariat, the NDCP Support Unit.

The role of Germany

The German Government has provided financial and political support to the NDC Partnership since its formation. Specifically, this has involved

direct financing of the NDC Partnership Support Unit;
indirect financing via ongoing projects;
work as a member of the Steering Committee.

The EUR 700 million provided by the German Government to date makes it the NDC Partnerships largest sponsor. Around EUR 550 million of this total sum was provided via the IKI.

IKI support activities

The IKI supports the NDC Partnership primarily through contributions to the Partnership’s initiatives, targeted support offers for emerging and developing countries, and NDC-focused support provided as part of the IKI project portfolio.

From 2019 to 2021, the NDC Partnership supported around 70 partner countries through the Climate Action Enhancement Package (CAEP) with demand-driven, rapid and effective technical assistance to revise their NDCs and raise their ambition levels. Germany contributed to CAEP funding via the IKI and other initiatives.
The Global Call is the successor initiative to the CAEP, and aims to support emerging markets and developing economies in two key areas:

Raising ambition in the current NDC cycle (i.e. NDCs with a time horizon to 2035, to be submitted in 2025);

(Further) development of long-term low-emission strategies.

The overall goal is to make progress with LTS and NDCs while simultaneously promoting harmonisation of the two instruments and building capacity for their long-term implementation.

The IKI has provided support for preparing the call as well as funding for use in responding to country enquiries. Support is being provided by the following key projects:
In June 2020, the Economic Advisory Initiative was also launched in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and ran up until 2022. This initiative, also part-financed by IKI funds, worked to support and foster the Green Recovery in partner countries.
The finance sector and financial regulators in particular play a key role in directing financial flows to sustainable investments. The Greening Central Banks Initiative supports central banks from NDC Partnership member countries achieving this goal through the following offerings:

Roadmaps: designing climate resilient and net zero financial sector transition plans aligned with NDCs & LT-LEDS.

Climate Risks Frameworks: supporting central banks to map, assess, and implement precautionary risk protection measures against climate change.

Sustainable Investments: identifying, promoting and safeguarding low carbon and climate resilient investments.

Disclosure and Climate Taxonomy: developing or strengthening tools, processes and capacities to assess, manage and disclose climate risks and create common taxonomies for the financial sector.

The support model is based on experience gained from the Economic Advisory Initiative and involves external consultants being sent out to the central banks, while a pool of international experts is also made available with the aim of offering support on specific topics. In addition, the initiative promotes dialogue between central banks aimed at institutional capacity building.

The IKI supports the initiative with its Greening Financial Systems Programme project, which is being run in cooperation with the European Investment Bank (EIB).
- Greening Financial Systems Programme
Although the approach taken towards joint action by the NDC Partnership usually provides immediate support to applicant countries, there are cases where requests have gone unanswered. To meet this demand, the NDC Partnership launched the Partnership Action Fund at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in 2021.

The Fund helps its developing economy countries to accelerate implementation of their NDCs by closing gaps in support. By bundling finance in this way and making it more easily available, the Fund guarantees a more rapid response to the needs of applicant countries, ensuring that these members receive better access to technical and financial resources.

The IKI has offered key support to the PAF, not least by providing the sum of EUR 11 million via its funding programme at the end of 2021 and 2024. This donation was made via the Greening Financial Systems Programme project.
- Contribution to NDC Partnership for Work Programme 2021-2025, Support Unit (SU) and Partnership Action Fund (PAF)

The NDC Partnership

Website of the NDC Partnership

Knowledge portal on funding opportunities and for technical assistance

2035 NDC Navigator

The content cannot be shown, because the marketing-cookies were denied. Click here , for accepting the cookies and show the video!

IKI topic page

Implementing nationally determined contributions

IKI interface projects

A world map with green continents and yellow markings for the IKI focus countries

In the IKI priority countries that are members of the NDC Partnership, the IKI interface projects can be particularly suitable partners for responding to requests for support.

Priority countries and interface projects