Since 195 countries adopted the Paris Agreement in December 2015, many countries are starting to implement their climate commitment or “nationally determined contribution” (NDC). But many developing countries lack the tools to measure, report and verify progress on their climate commitments and actions. The Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT) was launched today in response to calls for support from countries for improved transparency and capacity building related to the Paris Agreement.
The mission of ICAT is to help build the capacity of developing countries to measure the impacts of their climate actions while fostering greater transparency, effectiveness, trust and ambition in climate policies worldwide. The project will work to build capacity within at least 20-30 developing countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean.
ICAT provides policymakers with tools and support to measure and assess the impacts of their climate actions. The initiative will improve the availability and quality of data, and enable countries to promote efficient, cost-effective policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, respond to sustainable development needs, and drive systemic change. ICAT will also provide a platform for countries to share lessons learned and build mutual confidence in their climate actions.
ICAT was founded in 2015 by the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB); two additional donors, the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea (IMELS) and the ClimateWorks Foundation, joined the initiative at the end of 2015. The implementing partners are UNEP DTU Partnership (UDP), Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and World Resources Institute (WRI). The Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance and Rainforest Alliance are also supporting partners and will contribute to specific aspects of the initiative. The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) manages the trust fund through which the work is funded.
Currently, $16,5 million has been committed to ICAT from the four founding donors, but the initiative is open to new partners. ICAT will run for a minimum of four years with three main focus areas. First, it will develop methodological frameworks to measure, report and verify domestic climate actions, as well as conduct pilot testing programs. Second, monitoring, reporting and verification programs will be implemented through training, capacity building and domestic programs. Third, ICAT will take lessons learned to the international community.
For more information visit: www.climateactiontransparency.org