Untangling the Finance Goal

An Introduction to the New Collective Quantified Goal

Conclusions

Agreeing on a new goal will mean discussing and coming to an agreement on a variety of complex factors, including—but also going beyond—setting a numeric value for the goal. These factors range from who should provide funding to how it should be distributed and monitored. Parties will need to determine how funding will be distributed between adaptation, mitigation, or L&D. And they will need to agree upon how big the goal should be in terms of monetary value. But the question of the goal’s size is arguably the central question facing negotiators. Coming to agreement will involve understanding the needs and priorities of developing countries, which will continue to intensify as climate impacts continue to exacerbate. Although not directly addressed in this paper, the NCQG will also need to consider the quality of climate finance, including addressing the significant barriers to accessing climate and the financial instruments through which funding is delivered.

The NCQG process can benefit from finding synergies with existing processes under the Convention and the Paris Agreement. Some topics that may have an impact on the NCQG are also under negotiation in parallel with the NCQG, including L&D finance, operationalization of Article 2.1c, and the ETF. To prevent overlap and ensure consistency, the NCQG process could benefit from having joint technical discussions to address information gaps and inform the options for each element under consideration.

To outline a path to final agreement, TEDs need to narrow the conversations and identify consensus and divergence. Moving forward, more focused and concrete deliberations can be structured upon all Party and non-Party submissions to identify consensus, discard certain options, and find where bridges need to be developed. To complement this analysis, a list of definitions and concepts could help guide the deliberations (e.g., mobilization, provision, developed countries, climate finance investments, needs) because often Parties and non-Parties have different understandings of the same concept. These discussions should address and delineate the challenges of each alternative to move forward and inform upcoming climate finance negotiations. Future dialogues should build upon existing submissions to inform the NCQG process and prepare assessment reports.

Regular consultations should be structured to directly inform and complement the NCQG deliberation process. Regular consultations with constituted bodies are a component of the AHWP. How these consultations take place, and their outcomes, could be communicated on a recurrent basis to inform TEDs, submissions, high-level ministerial sessions, and other interactions that will ultimately inform the NCQG negotiations. These regular consultations will also benefit from a structure that clearly identifies the specific NCQG elements (e.g., quantum, time frame, etc.) they contribute.

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