Key Takeaways from the NDC 3.0 Regional Forum for the Pacific

The “NDCs 3.0 Regional Forum & Regional Capacity-Building Workshop on Carbon Pricing and Article 6 Training for the Pacific” was held in Apia, Samoa from 13-16 August 2024. The event aimed to build resilience and accelerate climate action across Pacific Island Countries, bringing together 98 participants including technical experts, government officials, and organisation representatives.  

The Forum provided an opportunity to strengthen partnerships with partners and members of the CCAC and Global Methane Pledge (GMP), enhance awareness of the urgency of reducing super pollutants and regionally launch the new CCAC Guidance on Including Super Pollutants in NDCs. Five Coalition state partners were present: Australia, Fiji, Palau, Vanuatu and the Federated States of Micronesia, which also holds the official role of GMP Champion. Fourteen Pacific SIDS are also members of the GMP, a voluntary pledge to collectively reduce global methane emissions by 30% from 2020 levels by 2030.

During the Forum, the CCAC Secretariat delivered an intervention on the importance of integrating non-CO₂ super pollutants in the NDCs 3.0 and spoke on a panel addressing implementation pathways for the Pacific, noting the many co-benefits of connecting action in sectors for climate planning, action and reporting. The CCAC participated throughout the Forum agenda and breakout sessions, providing inputs and support to Pacific Island participants on sectoral approaches and rationales for NDC enhancement, as well as building institutional knowledge on country experiences, priorities and challenges.

 

Image

Including non-CO₂ pollutants in the upcoming round of NDCs (NDCs 3.0) is critical to preserving the 1.5°C temperature limit and fully achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. The mitigation of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) can reduce the rate of sea-level rise (SLR) by 24% and reduce cumulative SLR by 22% by the end of the century. Beyond stronger mitigation results, addressing non- CO₂ pollutants including methane, black carbon, hydrofluorocarbons, and N₂O – many of which are short lived climate pollutants – offers multiple benefits that bolster air quality and health, food and energy security, and sustainable economic development.

The CCAC recommends that NDCs should:  

• Include non-CO₂  mitigation goals and measures as part of the economy-wide target in all relevant sectors;
• Integrate air quality planning and implementation to increase climate and health benefits;
• Leverage related and complementary agreements, strategies, and initiatives to optimise resources, institutional support and implementation;
• Ensure a comprehensive assessment and reporting approach in line with the Enhanced Transparency Framework to drive finance, resources, and information into NDC development and implementation.

With the next generation of NDCs due in 2025, the Forum underscored the critical opportunity for aligning global climate action with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It emphasised that NDCs should be informed by the first Global Stocktake (GST), including increasing the scope of emissions covered in a meaningful way. The Forum included a half-day on the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF), supporting Pacific Islands to navigate requirements and prepare to submit their first biennial transparency reports (BTRs) and national inventory reports. Interventions highlighted the importance of these submissions for demonstrating progress under the Paris Agreement, addressing gaps and identifying support needs.  

Pacific Islands identified a common need for greater and more streamlined access to technical support, capacity-building and finance, with a clear call for increased capacity building to the region and the delivery of complementary technical training. There was a strong interest in leveraging NDCs to unlock finance and support climate action and sustainable development, with an overarching aim of enhanced resilience and inclusivity.

The Forum was crucial in increasing the preparedness of Pacific Islands to update and enhance NDCs, assist in the timely preparation of BTRs and support capacity to take ambitious climate action domestically with clear benefits for community resilience and sustainable development. By providing a platform for peer-to-peer exchange, the sharing of best practice and discussion of context-specific challenges and priorities, the Forum demonstrated the importance for region-specific locally driven initiatives and collaboration.

The event was co-organised by the UNFCCC Secretariat, including through its Regional Collaboration Centre for Asia and the Pacific (RCC Asia Pacific), the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the NDC Partnership, in cooperation with the UN Environment Programme and the Regional Pacific NDC Hub, with support from the UN Development Programme (UNDP). The Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) Secretariat was represented at the NDC 3.0 Forum by Fiona Hurrey, leading on engagement with Small-Island Developing States (SIDS) and the Pacific region.

This was the first in a series of regional fora on the new generation of NDCs organised to help countries shape the next round of their climate pledges under the Paris Agreement and organised in collaboration with the CCAC, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the NDC Partnership, in collaboration with the UNFCCC Secretariat (UN Climate Change) and other partners.