Capacity Development for Climate Policy in the Countries of Southeastern and Eastern Europe, Southern Caucasus and Central Asia, Phase III

laufendes projekt

Initial SituationWith the entry into force of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), all Parties to the Convention are facing the challenge of implementing national contributions to the mitigation of climate change. This requires the integration of climate protection targets into sectoral and cross-sectoral strategic, activity and budgetary planning as well as monitoring and reporting.Even 30 years after the entry into force of the UNFCCC, the institutional and human resources capacities for conceptualizing and implementing effective climate policy in the countries of the project region remain relatively weak. Yet, the countries are united by the common challenge of successfully transforming their economic systems towards an open market economy while at the same time integrating ambitious climate protection policies into national development agenda. The required institutional, regulatory, financial and personnel capacities only exist to a limited degree. As a result, the countries can only insufficiently tap their existing potential for effectively implementing and increasing their climate protection ambitions while at the same time achieving their development goals. Overall, there are deficits in the modernisation of regulatory frameworks for shaping a climate-friendly transformation process. In many cases, government investment decisions in the countries of the project region are made with insufficient systemic cost-benefit considerations. In this respect, the project not only has the advantages of an ambitious climate policy, but also contributes to the modernisation of economic structures, the development of technological capacities and the improvement of the living conditions of the population.Project goalThe project countries have integrated their national targets on climate protection into their national development strategies.ApproachThe measures within the project enable political decision-makers and responsible institutions to systematically plan and successfully implement integrated and ambitious climate protection policies. The project countries are supported in effectively implementing national climate mitigation strategies, reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and thus contributing to a low-emission economic development.In all six selected partner countries, the project implements measures at government level to raise awareness among decision-makers on effective climate protection policies and to improve national framework conditions. In addition, pilot activities on specific topics with high potential for regional and international dissemination of experiences and results are implemented. An effective knowledge management has multiplier effects in other countries in the project region and at international level.The measures are implemented in cooperation with numerous partners, including civil society actors, universities and associations as well as individual experts.ImpactThe project supports the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) as main commissioning party and, the Federal Foreign Office as participating commissioning party with expert advice and the implementation of individual and small-scale measures in the countries of the project region to build capacity for ambitious climate policies and is part of the International Climate Initiative.In the partner countries, decision-makers are made aware of the need for integrated climate protection policy and of its the opportunities and benefits. As a result, national officials from different ministries in the pilot project countries are increasingly coordinating their efforts to shape national climate policy through interministerial coordination.Partner institutions responsible for implementing climate policy in selected partner countries are empowered to integrate climate goals into development strategies and plans. To this end, targeted measures for systematic capacity development are planned and implemented based on a needs analysis. Additionally developed approaches and concepts for the integration of climate protection goals into national development planning, which are suitable for international replication, are made available to decision-makers and institutions in the countries of the project region.Examples of specific impacts include the integration of national mitigation targets into national strategies or planning documents. Moreover, it includes the compilation of success stories on improved cooperation between government institutions to achieve Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in the countries of the project region. This also includes the documentation of experiences in integrating climate targets into national development strategies, which are advertised regionally as well as internationally.

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