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The Capacity-building sub-division of the Means of Implementation Division together with the respective UNFCCC Regional Collaboration Centres and the support of regional and international partners (such as the International Development Research Centre of Canada) have conducted mapping studies in three regions, in order to identify knowledge gaps and capacity-building needs to enable the private sector, and in particular Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to engage effectively in climate action and accelerate implementation of the Paris Agreement.

These studies were conducted in the Middle-East and North Africa (MENA), in the Southeast Asia (SEA), and in the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) regions and have also examined the potential role that local/regional academic and research organizations can play to support capacity-building efforts benefiting SMEs.

The Capacity-building sub-division of the Means of Implementation Division together with the respective UNFCCC Regional Collaboration Centres and the support of regional and international partners (such as the International Development Research Centre of Canada) have conducted mapping studies in three regions, in order to identify knowledge gaps and capacity-building needs to enable the private sector, and in particular Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to engage effectively in climate action and accelerate implementation of the Paris Agreement.

These studies were conducted in the Middle-East and North Africa (MENA), in the Southeast Asia (SEA), and in the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) regions and have also examined the potential role that local/regional academic and research organizations can play to support capacity-building efforts benefiting SMEs.

This paper follows from the logic of delivering on the goals of the Paris Agreement and the Glasgow Pact. The first part (Sections 1– 3) focus on this purpose and the necessary investment and actions, drawing on earlier work on the analysis of investments by members of the group and others. The second part (Sections 4–9) is about the scale and nature of the different forms of finance that are necessary for this investment and how they complement each other. Section 10 is on how the framework and the key elements described can be taken forward through our systems for international collaboration, while Section 11 concludes with overall next steps. The paper is intended to provide a framework for finance for climate action covering the overall needs for the comprehensive approach embodied in the Paris Agreement and UNFCCC. All the elements are necessary and urgent; it is a complementary and mutually supportive package. Most of the actions must start now; it is the science and the world’s perilous condition that set the urgency and timing. The paper also looks ahead to the coming decade and beyond. We do not attempt to provide great detail on every element of the package, but we are clear that there is a practical way forward on each.

limate action must confront the vulnerabilities experienced on much of the continent among people who bear a disproportionate share of climate impacts despite contributing relatively little to global emissions (approximately 4%). The focus of this compilation is on projects where international organizations are partnering with national government and local stakeholders in implementation through funding, technology transfer, and capacity building.

The report focuses on initiatives where national governments have partnered specifically with UN entities, often together with other international partners, local stakeholders, and the private sector. The examples provided are diverse, cutting across countries, sectors, approaches, and implementing partners. They cover successful practices in climate-sensitive sectors in need of urgent and scaled up responses: energy, agriculture, land restoration, water and sanitation, coastal restoration, tourism, waste, and transport. The report also identifies important cross-cutting lessons. While tailored and context-driven approaches are crucial to success, some takeaways emerge from across the full set that are relevant for further action across sectors.

With extreme events such as heatwaves, severe precipitation and droughts all expected to increase in a warming world, adapting to a changing climate requires as much attention as mitigating climate impacts. Action on adaptation is particularly salient for countries in many emerging markets and developing countries where the costs of climate impacts will far outweigh the costs of emissions reductions. UNEP’s latest Adaptation Gap Report, ‘Too Little, Too Slow’ issued just ahead of COP27 estimated the adaptation needs for developing countries alone to be up to $340bn annually by 2030.

The report shows that updated national pledges since COP26 – held in 2021 in Glasgow, UK – make a negligible difference to predicted 2030 emissions and that we are far from the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to well below 2°C, preferably 1.5°C. Policies currently in place point to a 2.8°C temperature rise by the end of the century. Implementation of the current pledges will only reduce this to a 2.4-2.6°C temperature rise by the end of the century, for conditional and unconditional pledges respectively.

The report looks at progress in planning, financing and implementing adaptation actions. At least 84 per cent of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have established adaptation plans, strategies, laws and policies – up 5 per cent from the previous year. The instruments are getting better at prioritizing disadvantaged groups, such as Indigenous peoples.

The report provides the main scientific input to COP28 and the Global Stocktake at the end of this year, when countries will review progress towards the Paris Agreement goals.

The report outlines that the 1.5°C limit is still achievable and outlines the critical action required across sectors and by everyone at all levels. The report focuses on the critical need for action that considers climate justice and focuses on climate resilient development. It outlines that by sharing best practices, technology, effective policy measures, and mobilising sufficient finance, any community can decrease or prevent the usage of carbon-intensive consumption methods. The biggest gains in well-being can be achieved by prioritizing climate risk reduction for low-income and marginalized communities.

The Toolkit on Digital Transformation for People-Oriented Cities and Communities supports strategizing and planning the digital transformation of cities and communities to promote sustainable, inclusive, resilient and improved quality of life for residents in cities and communities.

This report presents the findings of the survey ran by UNESCO with over 58,000 teachers worldwide on the topic of climate change education.

When choosing professional future, many young people, sensitive to planetary issues, would like their future job to be consistent with their convictions and help to bend the carbon curve. However, for non-specialists, the green economy is still very vague. Which careers to go to? What skills to acquire? This guide aims to provide them with answers.

This guidance explores what meaningful youth engagement in climate action looks like, both conceptually and practically. It does this by identifying dimensions and pathways that support meaningful youth participation and by providing actionable recommendations for climate action in general and NDC implementation specifically. The guidance builds upon UNDP’s knowledge and experience working with young people and was developed after extensive consultations with global youth climate actors.

This report analyses potential links between global finance to small-scale clean energy projects in developing countries. The analysis identifies key barriers, market enablers, case studies, insights and recommendations to wider adoption of financial aggregation as a means to enable capital flows at scale toward small-scale low carbon energy initiatives. 

This report analyses options to make international public climate finance more transformative. The report identifies eight sets of levers to drive climate action: project-based investments, financial sector reform, fiscal policy, sectoral policies, trade policy, innovation and technology transfer, carbon markets, and climate intelligence. It then examines how climate finance is deployed to address barriers to action for each lever and derives general principles for transformative climate finance based on this analysis relating to allocation of climate finance, use of different financial instruments and other improvements in modalities and processes.

Climate Budget Tagging (CBT) is one of a set of climate related finance tools designed to help countries mainstream climate change in public financial management in order to mitigate the economic, social and environmental impacts of climate change.

This guidance note is intended for government agencies responsible for climate finance within Ministries of Finance, Ministries of Planning, or climate change policy making bodies (e.g. Climate Change Commissions, Ministry of Climate Change, Ministry of Environment and Forests etc.) that wish to set up a Climate Budget Tagging (CBT) system or strengthen an existing one. 

This study sets out to address this and focuses on: trends in access to climate finance in conflict-affected and fragile contexts; gaps and opportunities to leverage the co-benefits of climate action for peace and security; strategies for mainstreaming climate-related security risks into climate finance; and recommendations to make climate finance work more effectively in contexts affected by conflict and fragility. 

The first global report on the implications of the transition to low-carbon and resource-efficient economies for skills, gender and occupations.