The dialogue series explored the opportunities, interlinkages and value of aligning climate policies and NDCs with development policies for SDG implementation.
While some dialogue participants expressed the view that development should be prioritized over environmental impacts in the short-term, others underscored the potentially high costs of waiting to address climate change and other environmental issues.
February 2019: During the first half of 2018, the Swedish embassies in Viet Nam, Cambodia, Tanzania, Zambia and Uganda convened a series of dialogue forums that focused on the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement on climate change and their alignment with the SDGs.
The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) worked with the Swedish Foreign Ministry to support the dialogues, which are part of Sweden’s contribution to the NDC Partnership. A final report of the dialogue series, presented to the NDC Partnership in February 2019, highlights common themes and insights from the dialogues, differences between and specific contexts for each country, and key discussion points and takeaways for each of the five sessions. Dialogue participants included national and local level policymakers, and representatives from the private sector, international organizations, academia and civil society.
The dialogues explored the opportunities, interlinkages and value of aligning climate policies and NDCs with development policies for SDG implementation through encouraging discussions among stakeholders on “reinvigorating” growth, improving livelihoods and combating climate change. They also sought to facilitate a common understanding on the degree of interaction and alignment between policies for advancing NDCs and the SDGs.
The dialogues were designed to address, inter alia: the pursuit of climate-compatible development policies; priorities and challenges of adapting to climate change; development benefits when implementing NDCs; and strategies for addressing trade-offs between climate and development agendas. All participating countries acknowledged the importance of embedding NDC implementation within a broader development agenda.
Some of the themes addressed by the various dialogue sessions related to the need for, inter alia:
Some of the dialogues stressed challenges related to the adoption of new norms and practices, which were emphasized as important for achieving sustainable development models. They also underscored the need for inclusive communication and education on climate and sustainability issues, including for youth, women and vulnerable rural populations.
In addition, the discussions highlighted concerns regarding trade-offs between development and environmental goals, and the importance of identifying solutions that address poverty and the needs of vulnerable populations. The event in Cambodia, in particular, addressed linkages between NDCs and the SDGs beyond SDG 13 (climate action), agreed that NDC implementation promotes multiple SDGs, and highlighted opportunities to further strengthen the co-benefits of the two policy agendas, including through identifying and managing potential trade-offs.
While some dialogue participants expressed the view that development should be prioritized over environmental impacts in the short-term, others underscored the potentially high costs of waiting to address climate change and other environmental issues.
The NDC Partnership is coalition of countries and institutions working to mobilize support and achieve ambitious climate goals and enhance sustainable development. Uganda, Zambia and Viet Nam are NDC Partnership members, while Tanzania and Cambodia are not. However, the results from each dialogue are relevant to the Partnership’s mandate. [Final Report on the Swedish Dialogue Forum Series on NDC and SDG Alignment] [NDC Partnership Website]