Climate Change

Empowering Countries to Meet the Climate Challenge

INTRODUCTION

Meeting the climate challenge requires individuals and institutions to be able to assess and understand climate change, design and implement adequate policies and, most important of all, to take action on low-carbon and climateresilient growth. Capacity building is a country-driven process, enabling individuals, organizations, and societies at all levels, to unleash, strengthen, build, adapt and maintain their capacities to undertake climate action.

The Cancun Agreements reaffirmed the primary importance of capacity building to enable both the full participation of developing countries in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process and the effective implementation of their commitments under the Convention. Moreover, in the Cancun Agreements, Parties have acknowledged the need to “build up global capacity, especially in developing countries, to meet the overall challenge” by strengthening relevant institutions, networks and climate change communication, education, training and public awareness at all levels. UNEP has more than 20 years of experience working on climate action, policy and science, and has made capacity building a priority that runs across its climate change activities.

In 2005, the UNEP Governing Council adopted the Bali Strategic Plan for Technology Support and Capacity Building, calling on UNEP to strengthen capacity building and technology support in developing countries, as well as countries with economies in transition. Within this mandate, UNEP works closely with governments at all levels to bolster capacities to increase their resilience to climate change, move towards low-carbon societies, reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD), improve availability and understanding of relevant climate science, and raise awareness of the climate change challenge.

In addition, UNEP supports countries to participate more fully in the UNFCCC process, including by supporting meetings of negotiators. UNEP also helps countries meet their obligations on National Communications, Technology Needs Assessments, National Adaptation Plans of Action, and is already providing support to countries on future areas of work, including Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions.

UNEP’s capacity building services include development of tools, guidelines and best practices, and supporting countries with their application. These services are delivered through training workshops and advisory services as well as through networks of partners that help to disseminate knowledge and experience. UNEP is engaged with a broad range of stakeholders at all levels, ranging from ministries, through local governments, civil servants, experts, financiers, entrepreneurs, and employees of privatesector and non-governmental organizations. Based on its achievements, UNEP, together with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has been designated as convening agency for cross-UN cooperation on climate change capacity building.

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Boosting the Uptake of Low-carbon Technologies

INTRODUCTION

The combustion of fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal is the largest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Reducing emissions by shifting to low-carbon alternatives and increasing energy efficiency offers the best ways to achieve immediate and sustained reductions in GHG emissions.

These alternatives also make economic and environmental sense. Many low-carbon technologies are already commercially viable, but transferring these to new markets and mainstreaming their use globally present challenges. Developing countries face various financial, institutional and regulatory barriers that hinder the uptake of renewable energy technologies and adoption of energy efficiency measures that are essential to their transition to a Green Economy. Overcoming these barriers requires new skills and capabilities in both the public and private sectors.

UNEP helps countries to strengthen individual and institutional capabilities in the clean energy sector by building up technical skills and knowledge about policy options and helping to develop mechanisms and policies that ease the costs and risks of entry of financial actors in new climate mitigation investments. UNEP’s capacity building activities extend to areas as varied as technology needs assessments, resource assessments, end-user financial mechanisms, development of small sustainable energy businesses and sustainable biofuel development. UNEP also helps countries respond to discussions and obligations arising from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process.

1. Clean Fleets for a Cleaner World

2. Putting Bioenergy on the Map

Fostering Market-readiness for Clean Energy Investment

INTRODUCTION

High levels of investment in the cost-effective implementation of clean technologies are required to enable the shift towards low-carbon growth and green economies. Creating the market conditions to attract the required level of private sector investment is critical in that regard, as are public sector efforts to develop market-readiness for clean energy investment.

However, the need to attract finance is a particular challenge for lower-income countries with limited infrastructure for, and experience with, the implementation of clean technology projects. Investing in these countries is therefore often seen to bear additional risks by investors that are expected to cover the up-front costs associated with clean technology applications. While the delivery of fast start finance for mitigation and adaptation actions is moving forward and the design of the new Green Climate Fund is progressing, there is a real need to ensure that developing countries have the capacities needed to effectively manage incoming funds, and so tap the opportunity to make cleaner energy technologies a cornerstone of their economies.

UNEP is working with a broad range of stakeholders at the national and local levels in developing countries to help them build a conducive framework for investments and their efficient use. UNEP’s capacity building activities for clean technology finance include enterprise development training to clean energy entrepreneurs; support to development and commercial banks and private investors to raise awareness and boost equity investments in the sustainable energy sector; technical assistance to national climate finance institutions to build better understanding of the required processes and global best practices, as well as a number of enabling activities for carbon market development, risk management and transaction support.

3. Boosting Carbon Markets in Africa

4. Banking on Africa’s Opportunities

5. Building a Market for Sunshine

Building Climate-resilient Societies

INTRODUCTION

Climate change and its impacts on ecosystems and societies are clearly observed today. These impacts will increase in the future and are exacerbated for poor people and countries with limited resources for adaptation and strong reliance on natural resources for their livelihoods and economic development.

Under the The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), developing countries require capacity building to support their adaptation to climate change. UNEP works to equip people and countries to cope with observed and anticipated impacts, reduce their vulnerabilities and increase their resilience. Priorities include building and strengthening national institutional capacities, and supporting national efforts to incorporate adaptation measures into country development planning and policy-making, consistent with countries’ priorities.

UNEP’s adaptation capacity support focuses on national programmes to undertake vulnerability and adaptation assessments, share scientific and policy-related information for decision-making and carry out pilot demonstrations of how vulnerability to climate change can be reduced. UNEP also works with counties to undertake economic analysis of climate change impacts and adaptation options, and supports countries in accessing bilateral and multilateral sources of adaptation finance.

6. A Harvest of Knowledge

7. A View from the Coast

8. Tackling Climate Change Close to Home

REDD+

INTRODUCTION

Deforestation and forest degradation account for nearly 20 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions – more than the entire global transport sector and second only after the energy sector. Constraining the impacts of climate change within limits that society can cope with is impossible without reducing emissions from the forest sector, in addition to other mitigation actions.

To respond to this challenge, UNEP, in partnership with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has created the UN-REDD Programme. The core of UNEP’s REDD+ activities within UN-REDD are to help countries to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in order to generate funds that could be used by communities to improve sustainable management of forests, strengthen the role of conservation, shift the forest sector to alternative development pathways, and support biological diversity and livelihoods.

Since REDD+ is still a relatively new area, capacity building is a key to success. UNEP works across the three major forested regions to help countries build the capacities to develop national REDD+ strategies, finance approaches and relevant institutions. At the global level, UNEP’s focus is the importance of realizing multiple benefits from REDD+ and its role in catalyzing a transition to a Green Economy. At the national level, UNEP is supporting the development of national strategies and the implementation of readiness programmes in 13 countries. Another main area of work is the development of tools and guidance on identifying and contributing to safeguards required under the Cancun Agreement. Other work includes promoting high-level political dialogues and engagement with the private sector to discuss REDD+ as an instrument for climate change mitigation, development and conservation.

9. Safeguarding People and Forests with REDD+

10. Beyond Carbon: REDD+ Biodiversity Benefits

Supporting Countries in the UNFCCC Process

INTRODUCTION

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is central to global efforts to stabilize greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system and to assist countries in adapting to the inevitable effects of climate change. Making the UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol operational has required new and increased capacities in developing countries. Many developing countries continue to seek the institutional and human capacities to comply with the reporting and other requirements of the Convention and Protocol and to access available resources to support their climate actions.

UNEP supports the Parties in building and strengthening their human, scientific, technological, institutional and resource capabilities to implement the Convention and Protocol, comply with their requirements, and build necessary cooperation at the national, regional and international levels.

UNEP provides capacity support and undertakes enabling activities for climate change planning and reporting. UNEP has supported countries to undertake National Adaptation Programmes of Action and is now helping with National Adaptation Plans that prioritize adaptation actions. UNEP is also supporting more than 30 countries to conduct Technology Need Assessments that define clean technologies best suited for climate change mitigation and adaptation and development of Technology Action Plans that facilitate smooth transfer of the selected technologies. UNEP has and will continue to provide support to dozens of countries as they undertake their National Communications to the Convention. Beyond planning and reporting, UNEP is providing support to countries to access finance under the Adaptation Fund, both as a Multilateral Implementing Entity and also through a support programme for countries building up and registering their National Implementing Entities. Similarly, UNEP has supported building of human and institutional capacities for the development of national Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) markets, including for accreditation of Designated National Entities and the development of investment projects.

11. Opening the Lines for Communications

12. Targeting Technologies

13. Built Capacities, Enhanced Resilience

14. The ABCs of CDM

15. The Practical Quick-Start of Iraq

• Climate Science

  Drawing on strengths as a science-based organization, facilitate the development of climate change assessments, including for new and emerging issues, and climate impacts research to inform policies and also support countries in the development of their own climate science expertise.

• Low-carbon Growth

  Support countries to make the transition to low-carbon growth and green economies by assessing emissions reduction opportunities, phasing out obsolete technologies, facilitating access to finance including stimulating privatesector involvement, and promoting the scaling up of clean and renewable energy sources and energy efficiency through policy, technology and investment choices.

• REDD

  Support countries to develop transformative REDD+ strategies, finance approaches and institutions, and test innovative REDD+ pilot projects that include multiple benefits such as biodiversity and livelihoods. The work includes promoting consultations among stakeholders, including indigenous peoples and forest-dependent communities and engagement with the private sector to demonstrate the potential for REDD+ to be a catalyst for the Green Economy.

• Adaptation

  Assist countries to reduce their vulnerabilities, and increase their resilience against the impact of climate change by supporting them in the production of sound knowledge, the use of ecosystem services and ecosystem management, and the integration of adaptation into development planning and policies.

• Outreach

  Improve the general understanding and awareness of climate change, ensuring that national policy makers and negotiators, trade unions, youth, civil society and the private sector have access to relevant, clear and understandable climate change information.

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