Global project to help countries implement climate plans

In December 2015, 195 countries agreed on a new climate agreement in Paris. But for many developing countries, it will be a challenge to measure, report, and document how the climate plans are implemented. Therefore, UNEP DTU Partnership and a range of international partners are launching a new global climate initiative which will contribute to building knowledge and institutional capacity for, among other things, gathering data and analysing and reporting the results.

The initiative—Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT)—will both develop and test the necessary analytical tools while partnering with 20 countries on building their national capacity.

“It’s my clear impression that many countries are eager to get started on translating the Paris Agreement into specific climate initiatives. In this process, most developing countries, however, face a particular challenge of being able to measure and document the effects of their domestic climate initiatives. The national climate plans make up the foundation of the Agreement, and I’m therefore very pleased that the company has succeeded in establishing a large, global programme which can support the implementation of climate plans. For it is essential for the credibility of the entire Paris Agreement,” explains John Christensen, Director of UNEP DTU Partnership.

“The UNEP DTU Partnership helped more than 30 developing countries to finalize their national climate plans up to the adoption of the Paris agreement, and therefore it’s only natural that we’re part of the process now when the countries will be realizing the plans,” he says.

UNEP DTU Partnership heads the initiative together two international partners. Through collaboration with national governments in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the initiative aims to promote transparency, efficiency, trust, and at the same time help to create a foundation for higher ambitions in the global climate policy.

The initiative will contribute to ensuring that politicians can better assess the consequences of their plans, and in this way contribute to enabling countries to proceed with cost-effective policies that will reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and promote sustainable development.

In the first phase, the initiative is funded by the German government and a private foundation in the UK. UNEP DTU received DKK 45 million for heading the collaboration with the participating countries, and will be in charge of the methodology work in relation to sustainability indicators, transport, and energy. Agreements with the Italian government and a private American foundation for further funding to ICAT is close to being signed. The total funding is thus expected to reach DKK 100 million within the next few months.

ICAT was launched on 14 April in cooperation between UNEP DTU Partnership, Verified Carbon Standard, World Resources Institute, the German and Italian governments, Children's Investment Fund Foundation, and ClimateWorks Foundation.

Read more about the new climate initiative here: www.climateactiontransparency.org