The Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA) Facility has announced that its Ambition Initiative Call is officially open for NAMA Support Project (NSP) Outline submissions. The UK and German government, alongside the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), intend to commit €174 million to the Ambition Initiative.
The Ambition Initiative targets an even higher level of ambition than in previous Calls of the NAMA Facility – it will support countries to implement their enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and build back greener as they recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, in several ways:
- Higher ambition: The Ambition Initiative focuses on countries with enhanced and ambitious NDCs. The former implies submission of the updated climate targets to UNFCCC, while the latter refers to clear ambition compatible with the globally agreed temperature limit under the Paris Agreement. Sectors targeted by NSPs are to be explicitly mentioned in the NDCs.
- Alignment with green recovery measures: The Ambition Initiative supports NSPs that contribute to existing national efforts for green recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Emphasis on global cooperation in climate change mitigation: NSPs from countries that are part of the NDC Partnership and have developed Partnership Plans should align their NSP activities with the respective plans.
- Consideration of novel technologies: The Ambition Initiative will also consider applications from NSPs that require a small sized pilot for novel technologies before moving into a larger scale project.
- More funding: Increased upper funding limit and additional funding for highly successful NSPs.
Svenja Schulze, German Federal Minister for the Environment, said: “We stand side by side with developing countries, especially in these challenging times. With the Ambition Initiative the German Environment Ministry, together with the British government and other partners want to support climate action projects in developing countries and emerging economies by providing funding of more than €170 million.
“We will provide targeted assistance to countries with especially ambitious climate targets. This funding will help them implement their NDCs and bring about a green recovery after the coronavirus pandemic.”
Lord Callanan, UK Minister for Climate Change, said: “As host of COP26, the UK is dedicated to supporting countries to pursue more ambitious clean growth transitions – a charge we are leading from the front with our new UN climate target to reduce emissions in 2030 by at least 68% compared to 1990 levels – the highest NDC reduction target made by a major economy to date.
“This dedication has been underlined with the contribution of £63 million to the Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action Facility (known as the NAMA Facility) to help countries go further and faster in reducing harmful emissions, while building back better and greener from the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Sonia Medina, Executive Director, Climate Change at CIFF, said: “As countries roll-out fiscal stimulus in response to Covid-19 crisis, there is an urgent imperative to ensure that stimulus spending leads to a green recovery. CIFF is excited to join the NAMA Facility to provide resources to ambitious climate projects that will work to leverage this aim; supporting the Ambition Initiative will reduce emissions while creating jobs and rebooting economies in developing countries.”
Three webinars will be held to introduce applicants to the Ambition Initiative and support them throughout the NSP Outline development process. The first webinar will be held on February 3, 2021.
The Ambition Initiative closes at 3 pm CEST/GMT+2 on May 31, 2021.
Following established NAMA Facility project selection procedure, submitted NSP Outlines will undergo a thorough evaluation process. The NAMA Facility’s Board will then select the NSP Outlines to receive support in the Detailed Preparation Phase. During this phase, applicants are provided with financial support to further elaborate NSP Outlines into fully fledged NSP Proposals. A second evaluation process is then undertaken to assess NSP Proposals, and those approved by the NAMA Facility Board will enter the Implementation Phase.
Founded in 2012, NAMA Facility Donors – the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU); the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS); the European Union and the Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities (KEFM) – have until now made available up to €483 million for NAMA Facility climate action.
