Stakeholders engage to facilitate the implementation of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) through South-South cooperation
Bonn, 2 May 2018 – The United Nations, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat and the South Centre co-hosted the event “South-South Cooperation in facilitating NDC implementation” during the 48th session of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI). Held in Bonn, this event convened member states, international organizations, and inter-governmental agencies to highlight climate actions through South-South cooperation and technology collaboration, in the context of NDC implementation.
The event was aimed at exploring how South-South cooperation could benefit NDC implementation, including through enhanced technology cooperation, and identifying concrete ways to support and facilitate climate cooperation in developing countries.
Mr. Xiaohua Zhang, Manager of the Climate and Sustainability Programme, UNOSSC, presented the efforts of the United Nations to advance climate actions, including the adoption of the United Nations Action Plan on South-South Climate Cooperation and the establishment of the QIAO Plan on climate cooperation and nature conversation.
Highlighting the importance of enhanced climate collaboration and increasing dialogue on South-South cooperation for the implementation of the Paris Agreement, Ms. Claudia Octaviano Villasana, Chair of Technology Executive Committee (TEC), UNFCCC, presented the efforts of the UNFCCC TEC in facilitating technology development and transfer in developing countries to realize the NDCs and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) through South-South cooperation, including recommending policy prescriptions to the parties under the UNFCCC to advance technology cooperation in the context of the Paris Agreement.
Reiterating the importance of the Paris Agreement and its means of implementation, technology development and transfer, finance and capacity building components, Dr. Ayele Hegena Anabo, Director General for Policy, Law and Standards, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ethiopia, shed light on the efforts of the Ethiopian government to adapt to and mitigate climate change through Sustainable Land Management programmes and a Climate-Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) initiative. He further echoed the need of additional resources and capacity building to combat the climate change challenges and highlighted the importance of South-South cooperation in addressing developing countries’ shared development challenges.
Emphasizing the role of the South Centre in helping developing countries to combine their efforts and expertise to promote their common interests in the international arena, Mr. Vicente Paolo Yu, Deputy Executive Director, South Centre, stressed the importance of integration of a South-South cooperation component in national development priorities of countries, as a complement to North-South cooperation and the Official Development Assistance. He described the importance of South-South cooperation in the context of the Paris Agreement through two acronyms – PEERS and WISE. The acronym PEERS includes five main items: people; exchange of expertise; establishment of South-South cooperation institutions at the domestic level; resource mobilization at domestic, international, and regional level; and strategic Southern thinking. The acronym WISE includes: workable modalities; implementation orientated; simple arrangements; and effectiveness in delivering the desired results of South-South cooperation.
Mr. Ayman Shasly, Policy Advisor for Climate Change Strategies, Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources, Saudi Arabia, addressed the event by emphasizing the benefits of South-South cooperation, including the principles of South-South cooperation: independence; equality; non-conditionality; non-interference; and mutual benefit for both the providing and recipient parties.
The objective of the event was to facilitate climate cooperation, including technological cooperation, among the countries of the global South, and explore how the efforts of United Nations entities and intergovernmental agencies could better support the sustainable development plans of the member states.
The event was widely attended by member states, international and intergovernmental organizations, civil society groups, and researchers.
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Media contact
Ms. Ajita Singh (ajita.singh@undp.org), Analyst, Climate and Sustainable Programme, UNOSSC
Mr. Mithre Sandrasagra (mithre.sandrasagra@undp.org), Strategic Communications Advisor, UNOSSC