The adoption of the 2015 Paris Agreement marks a significant step forward in the fight against climate change. With ratification surpassing the agreed minimum of 55 countries, the Agreement is the first climate deal with universal pledges to mitigation actions.
UNEP DTU Partnership (UDP) has provided technical support to 32 developing countries under the project ‘Preparation of intended nationally determined contribution (INDC) to the 2015 Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) GEF Agency’. These intended contributions not only aim to limit the global average temperature increase to well below 2 °C relative to pre-industrial levels, but pursue efforts to further limit the increase to 1.5 °C. By assisting with data collection, projections and analysis in preparing their INDCs, UNEP DTU enabled countries from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean to submit their INDCs before COP21 last year. UNEP DTU is following this up by supporting countries in implementing their nationally determined contribution (INDC) starting January 2016 till June 2017.
UNEP DTU’s implementation of the Technology Needs Assessment (TNA) project also supports the implementation of the Paris Agreement, which emphasises “the undertaking and updating of technology needs assessments, as well as the enhanced implementation of their results, particularly technology action plans and project ideas, through the preparation of bankable projects.”. With funding from the Global Environment Facility, UN Environment, through UNEP DTU Partnership, is supporting developing countries to determine their technology priorities for the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation to climate change through the global TNA project.
Moreover, UDP has contributed to the discussion and analysis of the linkages between the Technology Needs Assessments and Nationally Determined Contributions processes. UDP has produced a working paper for the Technology Executive Committee to the UNFCCC, which suggests that TNA outputs can serve as inputs for developing NDCs, as the technology identification process in the TNAs, in context of sustainable development and mitigation/adaptation opportunities, is aligned with the process of NDC development. Furthermore, technology action plans (TAPs) developed as part of the TNA process provide a platform for NDC implementation plan preparation and implementation.
In 2016, UDP supported also the Technology Executive Committee to the UNFCCC in the preparation of a guide on developing Technology Action Plans for informing the TNA process. This effort is being recognised in the ‘Joint annual report of the Technology Executive Committee and the Climate Technology Centre and Network for 2016’, for consideration by COP22 in Marrakesh.
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7, which ensures universal access to affordable and modern energy services by 2030, has been the focus of workshops, strategies and action plans that were participated and analysed by experts from C2E2, UNEP-DTIE, UNEP DTU, and other energy efficiency specialists. UDP’s various efforts support the Paris Agreement, which comes into force on 4 November 2016, and contributes to the global agreement on SDG 7.