BEIRUT – April 16 th , 2021 – Lebanon enhances the ambition of its Greenhouse Gas (GHG) and renewable energy targets by 2030, adopts more comprehensive adaptation priorities as part of its adaptation communication, and aligns climate action with sustainable development, green recovery, and the green and blue economy.
Lebanon updated its national climate pledge (also known as Nationally Determined Contributions or NDCs) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), marking its renewed commitment to the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement that agrees to advance universal climate actions to limit temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius, while pursuing efforts to limit to a safer 1.5 degrees.
The agreement calls on countries to revise and strengthen their NDCs every five years. Enhanced ambition is needed as the combined 2015 NDCs failed to put the world on track to limit the temperature rise agreed under the Paris Agreement. Therefore, urgent steps must be taken to reverse current unsustainable trends, leading to high expectations for governments to commit to ambitious pledges that leave no-one behind.
Some key components from Lebanon’s updated pledge include:
“Lebanon’s updated NDC is an important milestone for an ambitious climate action in the country, with clear implications for the implementation of Agenda 2030 for sustainable development, particularly in relation to green economic growth, affordable and clean energy, food security, improved air quality, and gender equality,” said Celine Moyroud, UNDP Resident Representative.. “In this sense, these climate pledges, priorities, and enablers constitute a critical roadmap for implementation and support, as well as an important contribution towards addressing the many challenges Lebanon is facing.”
The submission of this updated NDC comes at a difficult time for Lebanon, as the country is experiencing a myriad of challenges, including an economic, banking, financial and monetary crisis, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, the August 4 port explosion, and the impact of the Syria crisis. Lebanon’s NDC however tackles these challenges through green recovery, sustainable development and building back better.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has supported Lebanon’s updated climate pledge within the framework of the Nationally Determined Contribution Support Programme (NDCSP) with the support of German Federal Environment Ministry (BMU), German Ministry of Economic Development (BMZ), European Union (EU), Government of Spain and NDC Partnership. UNDP also has leveraged the global Climate Promise Initiative to support the climate-proofing of Lebanon’s development and recovery plans to avoid locking-in carbon emissions, and to safeguard the resilience of future investments. The climate-proofing exercise is an important first step towards NDC implementation, while showcasing the economic and societal benefits of climate action in financial terms.
For editor’s information:
UNDP supported Lebanon’s new climate pledge through the Climate Promise by providing advisory, technical and administrative support to the government to update the NDC and by climate-proofing priority investments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and increase their resilience, therefore accelerating NDC implementation.
For more information on the Climate Promise, please visit:
For more information, please contact
UNDP – Lebanon | Rana Moughabghab | rana.moughabghab@undp.org | +961 3 835 351
UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet.
