PiA 2020: Climate in COVID-19 Responses

The coronavirus pandemic’s emergence has profound implications for global action on climate change and in particular for the NDC Partnership’s work in 2020 and beyond. Economic recovery plans offer an opportunity to put climate priorities back on the political agenda via recovery efforts which “build back better.” In April 2020, the NDC Partnership surveyed member countries, with 52 reporting challenges they face due to the pandemic. While the pandemic’s full impacts will not be known for some time, the Partnership has moved quickly to deliver initial support.

Challenges

• The justifiable focus on immediate needs related to health impacts and economic recovery will divert political attention away from climate change.
• Diversion of financial resources away from climate and towards COVID-19 responses.
• A near-term reduction in capacity among members to participate in critical NDC implementation and enhancement activities, due to competing priorities and mobility limitations.

NDC Partnership Response

• Working to keep climate change on the political agenda, for instance by hosting a green recovery forum in June 2020.
• Supporting 32 members, with the goal of aligning climate action with health and economic priorities; a special focus is on COVID-19 recovery plans by providing more than 50 in-country advisors.
• Supporting members in carrying on NDC implementation and enhancement activities.

Green Recovery Virtual Forum

The Partnership organized a virtual forum in June 2020 on A New Development Reality: NDCs at the Heart of COVID-19 Responses. The Forum affirmed the Partnership’s founding commitment to integrate climate action with development and highlighted how to put climate plans at the heart of COVID-19 economic recovery efforts. In a show of solidarity, a collective statement was unveiled in which members affirmed climate action as a central pillar of recovery efforts. As early as August 2020, 83 members had endorsed the statement. 

Our work supporting countries with the alignment of their climate and economic recovery plans is discussed in more detail in the Financing Climate Action section of the PiA.

For more information on the Partnership’s work on COVID-19 impacts and responses, see:

• Blog on the green virtual forum: A new development reality
• Blog on COVID-19 and climate change

Insights from our members:

• WRI’s blog on 4 Ways to Strengthen Climate Action in the Wake of COVID-19
• World Bank’s blog on How countries’ climate ambitions can support a sustainable recovery from COVID-19

This is a PiA 2020 story: Browse the multimedia version or PDF version.