Building Blocks for Net Zero: Scaling industry action in NDCs Next steps for implementation, investment and impact

Without heavy industry, net zero is near impossible. Until recently, industry has remained largely overlooked in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), despite being one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions globally. While energy and transport sectors have typically dominated NDCs, industrial sectors such as steel, cement, and chemicals are now increasingly recognized as essential to achieving net-zero targets and delivering on the Paris Agreement. Industry is now a priority in 85% of the 20 latest NDCs , though only 45% include specific targets (up from 67% and 39% in 2024 ), showing progress but still too slow.

The 2025 NDC revision cycle offers a critical opportunity to strengthen the inclusion of industry in climate commitments. With NDCs due, the support package not only enabled countries to make their strongest submissions; it is also designed to guide them in the coming years with the implementation and delivery of these NDCs and the national strategies that underpin them.

This event reflects on lessons learned and progress made in embedding industry into NDCs. Drawing from country support to Kenya, Egypt, Morocco, Costa Rica and Uzbekistan, it will highlight policy, technology, procurement and financing approaches, as well as identify where support is still needed.

The event will launch two key resources to support the next phase of NDC implementation. The joint UNIDO–UNDP knowledge product showcases entry points and enabling conditions for mainstreaming industrial decarbonization into national climate strategies, with a particular focus on steel and cement. Volume 2 of the NDC 3.0 Guidebook for Industrial Decarbonization, developed by UNIDO's Net Zero Partnership for Industrial Decarbonization, provides a structured decision-tree approach to help policymakers identify effective policies and measures for low-carbon industrial development. It serves as a practical implementation tool for governments to translate enhanced NDC ambition into actionable pathways, offering curated policy options, examples, and methodologies across the five building blocks of industrial decarbonization.