Capacity building, knowledge and technology transfer are key to enabling countries to meaningfully contribute to global climate, net-zero and energy transition goals. While the UN’s latest NDC Synthesis Report still puts countries above the 1.5°C target, it projects that new updated NDCs combined with net-zero commitments could limit temperature rise to 2.1°C by 2030.
NEW YORK – The UAE and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) today announced a strategic partnership to support 20 developing countries in strengthening their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the NDC Partnership to raise climate ambition and drive urgent action.
The partnership, announced at a joint UAE-IRENA event on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, aims to leverage the UAE’s leadership on climate and renewable energy to write a sustainable energy future, while reinforcing IRENA’s pivotal role in supporting the development of NDCs under the NDC Partnership.
Renewable and clean energy solutions will play a key role in helping countries meet and advance their NDC targets. The first Global Stocktake at COP28 led to a UAE consensus to advance a just energy transition by tripling renewable electricity capacity by 2030, providing a roadmap to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.
The UAE-IRENA partnership aims to prioritize addressing the specific challenges facing developing countries, including limited technical capacity and access to financial support, to develop and achieve more ambitious national climate and energy plans as the world aims to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
The partnership will provide support to 20 developing countries to align their national energy plans with their NDCs and develop more detailed and quantifiable renewable energy targets across all sectors.
Her Excellency Amna Al Dhahaq Al Shamsi, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, highlighted the UAE’s commitment to supporting communities on the climate frontline, saying: “Bridging the gap between the ambitions of our current NDCs and the goals we need to achieve by the end of the decade is a critical challenge of the climate crisis, and one that we must solve together and fast.”
“The UAE is proud to work with IRENA to help developing countries accelerate their energy transition by strengthening the effectiveness of their NDCs. This partnership is a promising step to enable countries to ramp up and achieve their climate ambitions, and contribute to global efforts to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C.”
Dr Amna Al Shamsi added: “As a global pioneer in renewable energy, the UAE is committed to driving global climate action and energy transition. This partnership with IRENA, based on the NDC Partnership, is part of the UAE’s broader commitment to triple its renewable energy capacity by 2030, as outlined in the UAE Consensus following COP28 UAE.”
IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera highlighted the importance of the partnership, saying: “Renewable energy is widely recognized as the fastest, cleanest, cost-effective and safest way to reduce carbon emissions in a limited time frame. We commend the UAE for its ongoing leadership in the energy transition and are excited to join forces in a strategic partnership to support the world’s most vulnerable countries.”
La Camera added: “Supporting developing countries on their NDCs is essential to provide long-term policy certainty, attract investment and foster private sector engagement in support of a just transition that delivers socio-economic opportunities for people and communities.”
Urgent need for more ambitious NDCs
Nearly all countries have ratified the Paris Agreement and submitted their NDCs, but their original pledges were only to limit global temperature rise to 2.8°C by the end of the century. The new and updated NDCs, combined with net-zero commitments, could reduce emissions by 20% by 2030 and limit temperature rise to 2.1°C, according to the UNFCCC’s latest NDC Synthesis Report, still below the 1.5°C target.
Renewable energy is essential to closing this gap: IRENA’s Global Energy Transition Outlook predicts that global renewable energy capacity will need to triple to more than 11 TW by 2030 to limit warming to 1.5°C.
However, current NDC renewable energy targets fall short. As of October 2023, 184 countries have included a renewable energy component in their NDCs, but only 148 have set quantifiable targets, most of which focus on the power sector. With the third NDC submission due by COP30 in 2025, more specific and time-bound targets are urgently needed in key areas such as heating, cooling and transport.
The UAE-IRENA partnership announcement today was followed by a signing ceremony and networking session, where diplomats and stakeholders shared their insights on the importance of collaboration in achieving global climate goals.