Brussels, 29 November 2018 – The African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) Group of States could boost their climate action with technical and financial support, worth a minimum USD 2,317 billion, according to a Needs Analysis study by the Secretariat of the ACP, one of the leading intergovernmental groups of developing countries.

Published on Thursday, 29 November 2018, the report – “Climate Ambitions: An analysis of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) in the ACP Group of States” – is the first to analyse NDCs of the 79 ACP countries.[LINK]

Of these, some 59 ACP countries outline financial support needs in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), worth a total USD 2,317 billion. Of this amount, African countries account for 97 percent, while Caribbean and Pacific states account for 2.5 and 0.06 percent respectively. This figure will likely rise as countries detail their financial needs or increase their ambitions.

The report finds that 68 out of 79 ACP states (86 percent) include some form of conditionality in their mitigation plans, meaning that – if conditions on support, including finance, capacity building and technology transfer are met – the countries could work towards promoting the necessary sector-wide low carbon options, while furthering efforts to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change.

“The need for urgent and adequate action on climate change has been highlighted by the recent Special report on 1.5°C of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC),” said Dr Patrick Ignatius Gomes, ACP Secretary

“The ACP Group are among the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change and they’re keen to do all that they can to face this colossal challenge,” he said.

These countries and regions have contributed less than most others to climate change, but they are also more vulnerable to changing weather patterns, rising sea levels, and extreme weather events. They include small island developing states, landlocked countries, and less developed countries too.

Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, countries agreed to prepare NDCs, which they then revise every five years at most, increasing their ambitions with each revision. In this way, the world gradually ramps up its action against climate change.

“By identifying the opportunities, gaps and patterns, this report will help ACP States take their NDCs to the next level,” said Dr Gomes. “I urge the international community to support those climate ambitions,” he said.

2018 is an important year for climate action. In December, the international community is set to agree rules on implementation of the Paris Agreement and – for the first time – to review the world’s collective action (as part of the Talanoa Dialogue).
These two steps mark the culmination of key processes begun under the Paris Agreement, reinforcing the importance of next month’s 24th Conference of the Parties (COP24) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which is set to take place in Katowice, Poland.
• For further information, please contact Pendo Maro PhD, Team Leader, Intra-ACP Global Climate Change Alliance Plus (GCCA+) Programme and Climate Support Facility, on pendomaro@acp.int and (w) +32 2 743 0607 and (m) +32 495 281 494