Moderator: What is needed from your perspective and where do you see how to encourage ambition and implementation?
Executive Secretary: Thank you. It's a difficult question, but within the process, what Parties are required to do and respond with is actually quite straightforward.
First of all, the science is clear. We need to reduce emissions by 43% within the next six years, by 60% by 2035, and get to net zero by 2050.
What came out of Dubai, the historic UAE Consensus, the outcome of the Global Stocktake, was also very, very clear. It provided us with a pathway forward as to the elements that are required to be reflected in this next round of NDCs - highly, highly descriptive.
So, the transition away from fossil fuels in a just and orderly manner. What is required country by country in order to do that, and that includes the facing down of coal, the phasing out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, what is required, who are the actors that need to be engaged within that. The tripling of renewables, the doubling of energy efficiency, net zero methane, the halting of deforestation. What needs to be done has been clearly articulated.
Moderator: That's clear. Right?
Executive Secretary: Very, very clear.
Moderator: Where's the way forward?
Executive Secretary: Then the way forward is - the instruction, the mandate is these need to be reflected and instruct country by country this next generation of Nationally Determined Contributions, ensuring that NDCs are 1.5 aligned, whole-of-economy and [include] all greenhouse gases.
So the prescriptions are there, with regard based on national circumstances, and are very, very clearly outlined.
Then within that, when you look at the spectrum of NDCs that will be received, it's very clear where the most significant impact will come from, and that is within the G20.
So again, there is clarity as to where responsibility, where expectations lie in terms of bending that emissions curve. And then how we can encourage that ambition. We've already heard it from [Chilean Minister Maisa Rojas] and [German Minister Robert Habeck]
We have an opportunity to take a completely different approach to this third generation of NDC. Yes, there is a high technical element; sector by sector, area by area, what technical interventions are required.
But the opportunity that's being presented is how we re-envisage NDCs. These are economic transformation plans. These are the blueprint for economic and social transformation.
Maisa also outlined her country's approach, which is the approach that needs to be taken across the board. This cannot be developed in isolation just with the ministers of environment and climate. This requires a whole-of- government, whole-of-society approach.
That starts with the ministers of finance and economic development being at the heart of NDC development, but together with ministers of development, planning, agriculture, social development, et cetera, et cetera. So taking that whole-of-government approach: every minister, every ministry engaged in the development, identifying the opportunities.
This is about opportunity creation. This is the greatest economic transformation opportunity of a generation, and what is being presented is to seize [the opportunities] being presented.
So that engagement across government, across society, in the execution of this, over the coming months, is going to be central to whether we take full advantage of the opportunities presented to us or not.
Moderator: How do you see yourself also as a bridge-maker, of course, in fighting the frustration that is here and there in the room and in the debate.
Executive Secretary: It's absolutely important that we create these bridges, within the process, outside of the process.
I just want to pick up on Mariana's point [Prof Mariana Mazzucato, University College, London]. You summed it up well: progress is being made, but it's just not enough and it's not fast enough, and that's both in terms of climate action and particularly in terms of climate finance.
As we are now approaching COP29, in addition to NDCs, in addition to transparency, it's a finance COP. We know that finance, means of implementation - that is finance, capacity building, technology - is the enabler for climate action.
And there is a significant amount of work to be done there. We know, and we've heard clearly that there are significant public finance constraints. So the need for us to go from the billions to the trillions that are needed for this transformation, the need to identify those innovative sources of finance, is at the center of focus for this year.
But the challenge we have is you have inside the process the NCQG, but in order to move that - what signals, what movement - actually takes place outside.
Barbados outlined in terms of the opportunity and the challenges that they're presented, to implement that Prosperity and Resilience Plan. Others, we talk about NDCs being the economic transformation plans.
But many of the elements that were mentioned that will enable that, whether it's MDB reform reform, whether it's risk, whether it is debt management, SDRs, et cetera, et cetera, these fall outside the realms and the scope of the process.
So as we move through the course of this year we have to create spaces. They exist in theory.
We just came from the Springs [Meetings of the IMF and World Bank]. We heard some encouraging statements made in Washington, but they don't go for enough.
Moderator: Statements right. And then we see where the actions will be.
Executive Secretary: Exactly. Where is the action? We have the G7 meeting in a few days time, the G20. These are the fora where climate finance, development finance, are featured, but how do we bring these together. That bridging is going to be absolutely critical. We have a role as UNFCCC.
Moderator: Where do you see the responsibility, precisely?
Executive Secretary: So two elements.
First of all, within the secretariat as custodians of the process, line by line we're responsible for driving all of those mandates and commitments made, and we will continue to push.
But at the UN system level, the Secretary-General has given the entire UN system its marching orders in terms of supporting the process and Parties for COPs 29 and 30.
So, you've got UNDP through its Climate Promise driving and working with Parties, especially developing countries, in the development of their NDCs throughout the course of this year. The work by the NDC partnership.
There are three elements. There's design of the NDCs, ensuring, demonstrating what a good NDC looks like. Then there's the development of those plans and the support that's required especially for developing countries to be able to deliver these transformational plans. And then the third part speaks to the finance; it's implementing those plans and how we move there.
As far as the UNFCCC is concerned, in terms of the design, we've been working with UNDP, with NDC Partnership. We will be launching a navigator which will help Parties over the course of these coming months as to what a good NDC looks like, and how that work in delivering those should be executed.
