NDC Toolbox Navigator Connects Countries with Resources for Climate Action

To date, 191 countries have submitted national climate commitments, or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), to the United Nations under the Paris Agreement on climate change. The challenge nations now face is turning their emissions reduction and climate adaptation goals into action and results, while also aligning climate efforts with national sustainable development priorities.

Government officials and country-level stakeholders need a wide array of tools and methods to transition from setting NDC targets to producing climate mitigation and adaptation results. The good news is that many analytical tools and technical resources are already available, and now, officials and implementers will be able to find them in one centralized location.

Today, the NDC Partnership released a beta version of the NDC Toolbox Navigator at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) negotiations in Bonn, Germany. The Toolbox Navigator is the first online tool to provide comprehensive resources for the different stages of NDC implementation, and will also help users navigate over 20 existing online tool platforms with related resources.

The Toolbox Navigator was developed collaboratively through a working group of the NDC Partnership Support Unit, including WRI, GIZ and the UNFCCC Secretariat, as well as USAID, the Government of Morocco COP22 Presidency, and the Low Emissions Development Strategies Global Partnership (LEDS GP). It is the result of an extensive outreach process between the NDC Partnership and a wide array of partners.

One Complementary Tool Improves NDC Implementation Process

The Toolbox Navigator improves NDC implementation by helping governments and stakeholders select the most relevant tools for their situation, providing results based on the user’s activity, and connecting them with assistance in using these resources. It will:

• Return results based on relevance to context and activity: The user experience is designed around what users are trying to do or accomplish, in addition to topical or sectoral searches.
• Provide information on user experience with tools: Select tools are accompanied by user profiles that provide insight into other country experiences with a tool.
• Highlight available technical advisory support: The Toolbox directs users to technical experts and forums that are available to support the implementation of NDCs.

By providing connections to technical support related to tool use and presenting tools in the context of different stages of NDC implementation, the Toolbox Navigator improves users’ ability to identify, access, and use the most relevant resources.

For instance, stakeholders will be able to access:

• A tool that helps determine the optimal long-term expansion plan for a power generating system
• A framework to conduct a technology needs assessment to identify, evaluate, and prioritize mitigation and adaptation technologies
• A tool to quantify co-benefits from transportation projects in Asia
• A tool that provides methodologies and calculations for estimating greenhouse gas emissions reduced or avoided from a variety of clean energy activities

The Navigator contains over 250 tools and resources. Additional features and content will be added as we engage with users following the beta launch, and as the NDC resource landscape evolves.

The Toolbox Navigator will benefit several target audiences, including:

• Government ministries seeking information on tools for NDC implementation
• Development institutions and multinational assistance organizations trying to identify existing resources and avoid tool/support redundancy
• Research and implementation institutions or civil society organizations trying to identify existing support tools.

Toolbox Navigator Part of Larger NDC Coordination Process

While the Toolbox Navigator may have launched today, the NDC Partnership is still seeking input into to ensure the system provides the greatest benefit possible to NDC stakeholders. For more information about the NDC Toolbox Navigator, to provide feedback, or to join as a research partner, contact knowledgeportal@ndcpartnership.org

It’s also important to note the Toolbox Navigator is just one part of the larger NDC Partnership Knowledge Portal effort. NDC support includes the Funding & Initiatives Navigator, which launched in 2016, and the NDC Data Explorer, expected to launch later in 2017.

By working together, developed and developing countries, as well as international institutions and non-state actors, can help each other achieve the Paris Agreement’s ambitious goals. The NDC Partnership will continually provide updates on Knowledge Portal development and new resources, and we encourage all potential partners and collaborators to get involved today.