NDC Partnership

As of Mai 2023

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 (2020 to 2025), many countries have submitted their new or updated NDCs between 2020 or 2022, while others have yet to complete the updating process. One thing is clear, however, from the contributions submitted: the targets that have been set fall far short of the mark in terms of achieving the primary 2 °C target or even the 1.5 °C target.

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 (NDCP).

Purpose and aims of the NDC Partnership

The NDCP was formed in 2016 by the German Government together with other advanced, emerging and developing economies, and multilateral organisations. As a global initiative, the NDCP 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.

The Partnership therefore matches up specific, climate-related support requests from partner countries with offers from various donors, and promotes financial backing and capacity building to ensure effective NDC implementation. Developing economies – who would otherwise receive little support in this area – are a key point of focus. Support enquiries are submitted by the respective partner country to the NDCP support network as part of Partnership plans, as individual, ad-hoc ‘requests for support’, or in the context of initiatives and programmes, such as the Climate Action Enhancement Package (CAEP), the Economic Advisory Initiative or the Readiness Support for Greening Central Banks initiative.

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 14-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 NDCP Support Unit;
indirect financing via ongoing projects;
work as a member of the NDCP Steering Committee and for strategy development; and
responding to support enquiries from member states.

The EUR 600 million provided by the German Government to date makes it the NDCP’s largest sponsor. Around EUR 400 million of this total sum was provided via the IKI.

IKI support activities

The IKI primarily supports the NDCP with direct contributions to initiatives and support enquiries from the NDC Partnership as well as NDC-focused support provided as part of the IKI project portfolio.

From 2019 to 2021, the NDCP CAEP supplemented the Partnership’s regular service provision to offer 70 partner countries rapid and effective demand-oriented technical services with the aim of helping these nations revise their NDCs and raise their ambition levels. Many of these countries have now already submitted revised NDCs. Germany contributed to CAEP funding via the IKI and other initiatives.
The first thematic call from the NDC Partnership is the successor initiative to the CAEP, and aims to support emerging markets and developing economies in two key areas:

Preparation, updating and fine-tuning of long-term strategies for low emissions and development

Improving quality and raising ambition levels for nationally determined contributions

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:

Contribution to NDC Partnership (NDCP) for Work Programme 2021-2025

Support Project for the Implementation of the Paris Agreement (SPA)

2050 is now: Aligning climate action with long-term climate and development goals
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 offers central banks from NDCP member countries the option of requesting support services in this context from the NDCP.

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).
Although the approach taken towards joint action by the NDC Partnership provides immediate support to applicant countries, there are cases where requests for climate change mitigation support have gone unanswered. To meet this demand, the NDCP launched the Partnership Action Fund at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in 2021.

The Fund helps its developing economy member countries to accelerate implementation of their NDCs by bridging gaps in the support provided once members have taken action to establish their own resources and programmes. 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 1 million via its funding programme at the end of 2021. This donation was made via the Contribution to NDC Partnership (NDCP) for Work Programme 2021–2025 project.

The NDC Partnership

Website of NDCP

Knowledge portal on funding opportunities and for technical assistance

Video (YouTube)

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