Bonn, 1 December 2025: In a historic development, Ireland has pledged €1.2 million to the Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT), becoming its newest donor partner as the Initiative marks its 10th anniversary and enters a new phase of work extending through 2030. Ireland joins existing ICAT donors Austria, Canada, Germany, Italy, and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF).

The contribution was announced by Darragh O’Brien, Ireland’s Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, on the sidelines of COP30, held in Belém, Brazil, from 10–21 November 2025.

Darragh O’Brien, Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment:

“I am pleased to confirm that Ireland will provide €1.2 million to the Initiative for Climate Action Transparency for 2025. This year marked the delivery of new NDCs, a milestone in our collective efforts to keep warming below 1.5C. Effective transparency frameworks are central to the preparation and implementation of these Nationally Determined Contributions and for effective climate action more broadly. Ireland looks forward to working with the ICAT team, helping to deliver on its vital mandate.”

Welcoming Ireland to the Donor Group, Dr. Henning Wuester, the ICAT Director, said:

“We are now starting to see how transparency is improving the quality of Nationally Determined Contributions, with targets and actions grounded in sound data and analysis. This is encouraging in making the Paris Agreement work. Many developing countries want to take this journey but need support—support that ICAT can offer. It is therefore heartening to have donors like Ireland who make it possible for ICAT to continue its efforts.”

Ireland’s support comes at a key moment. After 2025 marking the submission of the third generation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0), the global focus will shift in 2026 from target-setting to implementation—an effort that depends on robust, credible, and nationally owned transparency frameworks. The new funding will strengthen ICAT’s work as it intensifies its focus on how transparency, data, and capacity-building underpin sustained and effective climate action.

Established in 2015, ICAT has supported more than 70 countries in strengthening transparency systems that enable effective, evidence-based climate policies. Through technical assistance, regional hubs, and an open-source toolbox of over 40 tools and guides—including methodologies for policy assessment, just transition monitoring, and climate finance transparency—ICAT has helped countries design evidence-based policies, mobilize climate finance, and enhance accountability in implementing their NDCs.

The next phase of ICAT will build on its proven model, with a refined emphasis on enabling transformational climate action through evidence-based policies, greater flexibility, local ownership, and the integration of climate considerations into development planning. This phase will continue supporting long-term capacity-building and empowering developing countries to effectively engage in the multilateral process.