UAE, IRENA partner to help developing nations raise and achieve NDC ambitions

The United Arab Emirates and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) today announced a strategic partnership to support 20 developing nations in strengthening their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), under the NDC Partnership, to raise climate ambitions and drive urgent action.

Announced on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York during a joint UAE-IRENA event, the partnership seeks to leverage the UAE’s climate and renewable energy leadership, and build on IRENA’s pivotal role in supporting NDC development under the NDC Partnership while charting the sustainable energy future.

Renewable and clean energy solutions will play a critical role in helping countries achieve and raise the ambitions of their NDCs. The first Global Stocktake at COP28, resulted in the UAE Consensus and provides a roadmap to drive a just energy transition and achieve the Paris Agreement goals through the tripling of renewable power capacity by 2030.

The UAE-IRENA partnership is designed to prioritise and address the specific challenges faced by developing economies, such as limited technical capacities and access to financial support, to develop and achieve more ambitious national climate and energy plans, as the world seeks to limit global warming to 1.5°C.

The partnership will provide the 20 developing economies with the support to develop more detailed and quantifiable renewable energy targets across all sectors, aligning national energy plans with their NDCs.

Dr. Amna Al Dahak Al Shamsi, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, highlighted the UAE’s commitment to supporting climate frontline communities, saying: “Bridging the gaps between current NDC ambitions and the targets we need to achieve before the end of the decade is a critical challenge of the climate crisis, and one that we must work together to fix, and swiftly.

“The UAE is proud to collaborate with IRENA and help empower developing countries to accelerate their energy transitions by enhancing the effectiveness of their NDCs. This partnership marks a promising step towards ensuring that nations can raise and meet their climate targets, and contribute to global efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C.

Dr. Amna Al Shamsi added: “As a global renewable energy pioneer, the UAE is committed to advancing global climate action and the energy transition. This partnership with IRENA under the NDC Partnership is part of the UAE’s broader efforts to support the tripling of renewable energy capacity by 2030, as outlined in the UAE Consensus following COP28 UAE.”

Francesco La Camera, Director-General of IRENA, emphasised the significance of this partnership: “Renewables are widely recognised as the fastest, cleanest and most cost-effective and secure way to cut carbon emissions within the limited time we have. We commend the UAE for its continued energy transition leadership, and we are excited join forces in a strategic partnership to empower the most vulnerable countries around the world.”

La Camera added: “Supporting developing countries on NDCs is fundamental to provide long-term policy certainty, attract investment and encourage private sector engagement in support of a just transition that brings socioeconomic opportunities to people and communities.

Though nearly every nation has ratified the Paris Agreement and submitted NDCs, the original pledges would only have limited global temperature rise to 2.8°C by the end of the century. New and updated NDCs, combined with net zero commitments, are projected to reduce emissions by 20% by 2030, potentially limiting warming to 2.1°C according to the latest NDC synthesis report by the UNFCCC—still above the 1.5°C goal.

Renewable energy is essential to bridging this gap. IRENA’s World Energy Transitions Outlook projected the need to triple installed renewable power capacity to over 11 TW globally by 2030 to stay on a 1.5°C aligned pathway.

However, current renewable energy targets in NDCs fall short. As of October 2023, 184 parties had included renewable energy components in their NDCs, but only 148 had set quantifiable targets, most of which focus on the power sector. With the third submission of NDCs 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 a networking session, where diplomats and stakeholders shared insights on the importance of collaboration in meeting global climate targets.