May 2015: The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Resources Institute (WRI) have published a report guiding countries on the preparation and design of their climate commitments, titled ‘Designing and Preparing Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs).’

The report responds to a request for additional guidance from countries that participated in a series of Regional Technical Dialogues on INDCs convened by the UNDP and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2014-2015. The publication captures ideas shared during the dialogues, reflects the current state of negotiations and puts forward options for the preparation of INDCs, including detailed technical guidance and process-related considerations.

The report contains eight chapters organized into two parts. Part I provides an overview of choices for preparing and designing INDCs focusing on five general steps (Chapters 1-5): identifying the benefits of an INDC; organizing the national INDC process; identifying data and analysis to inform the INDC; choosing options for designing the INDC; and communicating the INDC. Part II contains technical guidance on: options for the design of an INDC for mitigation (Chapter 6); options for the design of an INDC on adaptation (Chapter 7); and means of implementation related to INDCs (Chapter 8). [Publication: Designing and Preparing Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs)] [WRI Press Release]