Rabat INDC Forum at COP21: Intended nationally determined contributions as starting point to low-carbon development

Building on the first INDC Forum held in Morocco this October, the Rabat INDC Forum taking place today at the Paris climate conference will look at countries' intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) to the new global climate agreement as a starting point to low-carbon development.

The Forum will bring together high-level representatives and experts from a variety of regions and organisations. In the high-level session, EU climate Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete, Hakima El Haite (Environment Minister, Morocco) and Pablo Vieira Samper (Deputy Minister of Environment of Environment & Sustainable Development, Colombia) will discuss how to build on the INDCs after Paris. They will be joined by Fatih Birol (Executive Director, International Energy Agency) and Helen Clark (Administrator, United Nations Development Programme). The session will be moderated by Jos Delbeke, European Commission's Director-General for Climate Action.

The Forum also features two sessions dedicated to discussion among experts in the scientific assessment and implementation of INDCs. In the first session, leading scientists will demonstrate how the INDCs contribute to reducing emissions while achieving wider sustainable development aims. In the final session, major donors and partner country representatives will discuss how to take action after the Paris conference, building on the partnerships formed and lessons learned from a year of assistance in INDC preparation.

Ahead of the Paris climate conference, 185 countries representing over 95% of global emissions have submitted INDCs outlining how they intend to contribute to the global effort to fight climate change. The EU was the first major economy to submit its contribution in early March – a binding domestic target to reduce emissions by at least 40% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.

The first Rabat INDC Forum organised by the European Commission, the Moroccan government, UNDP and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in October concluded that the intended plans put forward by countries demonstrate governments' strong commitment to cut emissions. However, the global ambition level should be regularly revisited and strengthened to keep the world on track to avoiding dangerous climate change.

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