Climate Finance Readiness

Published by Climate Finance Readiness Understanding readiness to access and use climate finance effectively Insights from Namibia, Tanzania and Zambia The need to support processes that enhance the capacity of developing countries to access, allocate and spend climate finance is increasingly acknowledged by the international community. Several bilateral and multilateral initiatives have been launched to strengthen recipient country readiness to use climate finance effectively, and “readiness” activities are envisaged to be supported through the Green Climate Fund (GCF). Greater attention to issues of national policy, planning, institutional arrangements and spending capacity, it is hoped, will not only ensure that climate change and development aspirations are well aligned, but also more effectively implemented through the ensuing activities funded. Since November 2012, ODI and the African Climate Finance Hub have worked with government, private sector, and civil society stakeholders in Namibia, Zambia and Tanzania to understand these countries’ unique climate finance readiness needs. This policy brief reflects on these three country experiences to draw synthetic lessons for efforts to deliver support for climate finance readiness activities. All three country studies and an initial note outlining the analytical approach taken and early findings from this research initiative are available online at: www.odi.org.uk/climatefinancereadiness and www.giz.de/climate > Climate finance > Further information. Understanding Climate Finance Readiness Responding to climate change is no easy task and programming Our framework for understanding a country’s climate finance and using climate finance well is a complex undertaking. The readiness needs seeks to make recommendations that are: particular activities that would enhance a country’s readiness RELATIVE to a country’s socioeconomic and geopolitical to use climate finance to transition to a low carbon and climate characteristics; RESPONSIVE to the country’s particular needs, resilient development pathway need to reflect the country’s priorities, and challenges - and therefore flexible and revisited unique circumstances and particular context. We began by devel- over time; REASONABLE, moving beyond the ideal to factor oping a basic framework for analysing country readiness needs, in key national issues and constraints, and thus identifying the through an iterative process that sought input from international practical steps that can be taken. development organisations, developed and developing country government representatives, and well respected international With these principles in mind, we considered; (i) in-country climate change and development think tanks. processes and institutions to plan for climate change and Photos: © Mikkel Ostergaard, Crispin Hughes / Panos programme required finance (ii) associated aptitudes and In applying the framework in the three countries, we sought to capacities across a wide cross-section of national institutions consult as wide a range of stakeholders from government, civil and stakeholders (iii) and systems to access and spend climate society and business as possible, to seek their views on what it finance. This analytical framework and its components are would take to direct finance towards climate compatible devel- summarised in figure 1 below. Readiness needs are likely to opment in their country context. We also analysed the underlying span across these interlinked core components. Activities which political and economic incentives that shape investment choices, qualify for international climate readiness funding are likely and the barriers that may impede better alignment of climate to be only a subset of the full suite of activities that will need change and development goals. resourcing in order to achieve a transition to climate compatible development. Figure 1: A framework for understanding climate finance readiness Climate Finance Readiness In pursuit of a paradigm shift in a context of urgency supported by long term climate finance RELATIVE to a country’s socioeconomic and geopolitical characteristics, with due recognition of incentives and barriers to action RESPONSIVE to the needs, priorities and challenges of all stakeholders, including government, business and civil society Driving Driving Prinicples REASONABLE in terms of having identified the key issues and challenges at hand, and proposing practical steps that can be taken to address these considerations Planning: includes the strategic purpose and alignment of climate finance with national strate- Alignment and gies and objectives, capturing climate finance integration of climate change governance and institutions, the processes and actions in Effective systems in place to revise policies, regulations development plans coordination of and incentives that affect climate change relevant actors, institutions and activities investments, and the extent of information to Sustainable guide investments. coordinating Needs that structures and Sufficient, quality may strengthen institutions information and readiness to use Aptitude: relates to national capacities linked data for planning climate finance to climate finance, referring to the people and Systems for effectively, expertise that exists in country to access and pro- transparency which can then and inclusive gram climate finance and including the capability Capacity to identify be prioritised. engagement to develop a pipeline of bankable climate change and develop viable Needs will projects and programmes. projects that can evolve, and must Core components Core Expertise across attract funding be revisited over stakeholders time. Access: refers to the sourcing and receipt of and existence of climate finance and whether funds are spent partnerships effectively, thus considers the systems and Monitoring and Appropriate capacities in place to monitor and evaluate the evaluation capacity modalities impact of climate finance expenditure, with the and processes goal of strengthening accountability and improv- and associated fiduciary standards n o ing impact, as well as modalities and associated i in place t fiduciary and environmental standards. c e l f e r - f l e s d n Le g a Potential areas of focus for readiness needs identification arnin 2 | Insights for efforts to strengthen of the material implications of climate change for national development strategies. Zambia has developed a National Climate readiness for climate finance Policy and associated Strategy, but it has yet to be approved by political authorities including the Cabinet and Parliament. The following cross cutting insights emerge from our three Namibia has developed a National Climate Policy and associated country initiatives. The findings of the individual studies are Strategy and Action Plan, but appreciation of the implications of summarised in Table 1. these policies and plans for key sectors such as energy or agricul- ture is nascent. In Tanzania, a National Climate Change Strategy was also developed in 2012. In all three countries however, we I. Planning: Supporting a coordinated, well- observed a role for readiness finance in enabling more strategic informed, and strategic climate response implementation of these emergent policies. Many climate strategies are in their early stages of development, and have yet to take Our analysis of planning for climate finance included considera- on some of the fundamental incentives that shape the viability of tion of the strategic purpose of climate finance, or the critical climate compatible development. In all three countries, climate need to align climate finance programming with national strategies need more detailed elaboration of proposed activities, economic development strategies and objectives. It captures and need to explicitly consider how current policy, institutional, climate finance governance and the appropriate institutional subsidy and regulatory constraints to their implementation could framework to support a country’s climate change response. It be addressed. also takes account of the procedural arrangements to revise policies, regulations and incentives that affect climate change » Climate finance readiness efforts can help stakeholders in relevant investments. Finally, it reflected on the issue of recipient countries elaborate the links between emergent acquiring sufficient and relevant information in order to achieve climate strategies and existing governance arrangements informed climate change planning to guide climate finance (including policy, institutional, regulatory, and incentive investment. Our studies suggest the following lessons for efforts frameworks). This would help stakeholders identify practical to support climate finance readiness. steps to strengthen the enabling environment for investment in climate compatible development. The role of climate finance and associated readiness needs are shaped by national economic priorities and geophysical Stakeholders in most countries recognised the need to strength- circumstances. For example, as Zambia depends almost entirely en coordination of climate change activities and incorporate on hydropower for its electricity needs, it has a relatively low climate change considerations into national development carbon energy mix. Climate change may, however, make these strategies: but this is easier said than done. In all three countries resources less reliable. Zambia needs finance to investigate institutions to support the realisation of

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