Germany helps developing countries and emerging economies implement climate targets

The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Federal Environment Ministry announced at the Climate Change Conference in Katowice that Germany will be supporting the global partnership for implementing NDCs with a further 68 million euros. 48 million euros will come from the budget of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and 20 million from the budget of the Federal Environment Ministry. Since its establishment in 2016 by Morocco and Germany, membership of the NDC Partnership has risen to include 70 developing countries and emerging economies, 17 industrialised countries and 20 international organisations.

Federal Development Minister Dr Gerd Müller stated: "It is people in poorer countries that suffer the most from climate change. And for these people it is especially challenging to adapt to climate impacts. This is why, through the NDC Partnership, we have chosen to help developing countries implement their national climate plans and invest in climate-friendly technologies of the future. We have already helped 40 developing countries and emerging economies, for instance, Uganda, which wants to achieve a share of 90 percent renewable energies by 2030. The NDC Partnership is thus an important way to help implement the provisions of the Paris Agreement in a consistent and binding way."

Federal Environment Minister Svenja Schulze added: "Implementing the NDCs is the core component of the Paris Agreement. The NDC Partnership makes it possible for all countries involved to support one another, exchange experiences and encourage one another. The Paris Agreement is a collective creation and a collective task. We will not leave developing countries alone in their climate efforts. It is inspiring to see that the partnership is already bearing fruit today. We will continue to actively support this exchange."

At the end of their two-year term during the UN Climate Change Conference in Katowice, Germany and Morocco will hand the Co-Chairmanship over to the Netherlands and Costa Rica.

To date, Germany has supported the NDC Partnership with financial contributions amounting to over 130 million euros. The hard work pays off. Within the framework of the NDC Partnership Kenya, for instance, has drawn up a national climate change action plan, Peru has adopted a law on climate change and initiated a broad consultation process on its implementation, and Costa Rica has prepared a detailed investment plan that will mobilise funds from the Inter-American Development Bank from climate projects.

Collectively, however, national climate action plans are not enough to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. In order to avoid climate change becoming uncontrollable, many countries will have to make their climate targets significantly more ambitious and combine national climate and development targets.

Germany is working hard to mobilise further contributions. With Germany's help, an NDC Finance Initiative was set up in the Caribbean to support Caribbean countries in the implementation of their NDCs. The European Commission, Taiwan, the Caribbean Development Bank and the World Bank are just an example of actors now involved in this initiative. In the Pacific region, a regional support platform for implementing the NDCs has also been set up with Germany’s support (Regional Pacific NDC Hub) - Australia and the United Kingdom, among others, are involved in the platform.