15 November 2017: The UN Development Programme (UNDP), the Governments of Germany and Spain, and the European Commission have launched the ‘NDC Support Programme’ to strengthen developing countries’ implementation of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement on climate change.

The NDC Support Programme seeks to help countries improve governance in five areas: gender-responsive NDC development and implementation; climate actions mainstreaming; climate mitigation and adaptation; transparency systems; and climate finance and private sector engagement. The Programme intends to align countries’ development priorities with the need for climate resilience, through supporting NDC design and implementation, in the context of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The NDC Support Programme will help countries create an integrated approach, said Steiner.

According to UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner, over 90% of NDCs are aligned with the SDGs, and refer to clean energy solutions. He added that “nearly as many emphasize priorities for building resilience to climate change.” The Programme also aims to help countries “create an integrated approach,” said Steiner.

The Programme has already mobilized more than €42 million from multiple partners, including German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Development (BMZ), the EU and the Government of Spain. Of this amount, the German Government is financing €37.5 million. Current funding will support an initial list of 25 countries.

The NDC Support Programme is a contribution to the NDC Partnership. It was launched on 15 November 2017, at an event on ‘Transforming Lives through Climate Action,’ held in the UNDP Pavilion at the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany. [UNDP Press Release] [Launch Event]