The Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT) is seeking Expressions of Interest from new partner countries to join the Initiative and receive support from ICAT to enhance domestic capacity for mitigation and adaptation action transparency, guided by the Enhanced Transparency Framework of the Paris Agreement (ETF). Support will be provided in the form of resources for a project coordinated by a national focal point and implemented by national experts. Additionally, each ICAT project will be supported by international expert advisory services.

ICAT also invites regional entities or institutions to submit an Expression of Interest to establish and host a regional climate action transparency hub following the approach for the two Regional Hubs that have already been set up.

Background

The Initiative for Climate Action Transparency was established in 2015 at the COP that adopted the Paris Agreement to support implementation of the Agreement’s Enhanced Transparency Framework. 

ICAT provides countries with tailored support and practical tools and methodologies to build robust transparency frameworks needed for effective climate action in sync with national development priorities. The projects ICAT supports relate to: building or enhancing transparency systems for mitigation actions; building a monitoring approach for adaptation actions;  implementing and further delivering nationally determined contributions; assessing the impacts of policies related to climate action; integrating and/or aggregating climate actions at the subnational level and for non-state actors; and identifying and increasing domestic benefits and synergies from enhanced climate action.

ICAT offers a range of methodologies and tools to assist countries. The Initiative works with over 40 developing countries ranging from large countries, like China, to small islands, such as Antigua & Barbuda.

ICAT is an unincorporated multi-stakeholder partnership steered by the Donor Steering Committee (DSC), conformed by its donors, the Children Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF); ClimateWorks Foundation (CWF); Germany and Italy, and  the UNFCCC Secretariat  and UNOPS as ex-officio members. The Initiative is managed by UNOPS on behalf of the DSC. Within UNOPS, the ICAT Secretariat manages ICAT day-to-day activities, coordinating and guiding the work of the implementing partners.

ICAT concentrates its efforts in four areas:

• Direct country support;
• Regional Climate Action Transparency Hubs;
• The ICAT Toolbox; and
• Knowledge sharing.

To address the countries’ needs ICAT’s support has built on the following core features:

• Policy focus, aimed at enabling transformational change;
• Agility in responding to country needs, anchored in sustainable development assessments;
• Flexibility to innovate and create replicable approaches;
• Sound methodologies and tools; and
• Peer-to-peer collaboration and knowledge sharing.

ICAT’s support offer to countries

Country support will be delivered through focused and time-bound (12 to 18 months) projects with resources provided for work by national experts or a national expert institution, training activities, stakeholder workshops and related activities. In addition, there will be dedicated international expert advice supporting the activities at the national level. ICAT collaborates with partner countries to design the project workplan or to build it from a menu of project modules. The project modules are based on already implemented ICAT country projects and each module is aimed to address one or few requirements of the ETF. The modules can be combined and tailored to address country’s needs and priorities:

1. A sectoral and/or economy wide MRV framework;
2. A framework to track progress made in implementing and achieving NDCs submitted under Article 4 of the Paris Agreement and evaluate them; 
3. Frameworks and tools necessary to estimate projections of GHG emissions and removals;
4. Assessment of policies and measures for their expected or achieved impact on:
   • GHG emissions/removals; 
   • Sustainable development; and/or
   • Transformational change;
5. Impact assessment of subnational and/or non-state actions, for instance in the context of implementing and achieving NDCs
6. A framework to track climate finance (ex ante and ex post
7. A framework for monitoring and evaluation of just transition processes;
8. A national or sectoral climate data system applying:
   • ICAT’s Transport Climate Action Data (TraCAD) tool; or
   • Costa Rica’s SINAMECC system;
9. A framework for monitoring and evaluation of adaptation actions in one or several sectors.

ICAT is open to engaging with countries with a different level of readiness for implementation of the ETF requirements. Modules one to three would allow countries to develop and implement the necessary foundation for effective NDC implementation, whereas modules four to nine would require some MRV framework be in place prior to engagement. If a country already has clearly defined requirements for support within the scope of ICAT’s mandate, the project can be tailored to meet those needs.

Submission process

Interested countries are invited to submit a formal Expression of Interest issued by an official entity (ministry or agency) with competency in the matter, by email to icat@unops.org. The following information should be included:

• Status of reporting under UNFCCC and status of submission of NDC, and relevant ongoing activities in this regard;
• Potential areas of interest and priorities for transparency support, such as defined by the project modules (listed above), that ICAT can support. Please indicate the 1-3 areas that are of highest priority;
• Other ongoing initiatives in the country related to climate action transparency and other support projects expected;
• Contact information of the national focal point for the ICAT project.

Countries which intend to submit an Expression of Interest should be informed that joining the Initiative will imply commitment from a designated focal point to ensure swift project preparation and coordination of the work at the national level for a successful project. 

Interested regional entities are invited to submit a formal expression of interest covering similar information as above. These submissions should ideally have received support from the countries of the region or subregion to be covered. Formal support letters from the countries will need to be obtained before a Hub can be established.

Submission timeline and next steps

The submitted Expressions of Interest will be reviewed based on approved selection criteria:

• Diversity of ICAT countries (e.g. geography, size, economic development, significance of GHG emissions and main GHG emitting sectors);
• Ongoing efforts on MRV/transparency;
• Support needs (in particular, clarity in terms of work to be covered in an ICAT project based on selected priority areas from the list above);
• Maximum ICAT impact (countries where ICAT can best apply its tools and methodologies);
• Workability (e.g. political stability, existing in-country partnerships and connections with the implementing entities, existence of functioning institutions/procedures). 

Once a country has been selected, the ICAT Secretariat will send out the invitations to the selected countries and will lead the initial discussions with country focal points on country priorities, gaps in capacity and the interest in ICAT methodologies and tools. A period of five weeks will be given to countries to formally confirm the invitation to join ICAT. A country scoping phase will then follow. Based on this, a work plan and budget will be developed by a country with support from the International Implementing Partner funded by ICAT. The engagement will then be formalized by concluding a Project Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between the responsible government entity and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). A summary outlining the steps to prepare for an ICAT project can be found in annex II. 

The country engagement timeline:

1. Selection process (2-3 months)
   • ICAT opens Call for EoIs from new partner countries to join the Initiative (6 weeks)
   • Submission of EoIs by countries
   • Selection Panel reviews EoIs
   • ICAT Secretariat invites selected countries to join the Initiative
2. Preparation (2-3 months)
   • Initial discussions
   • Work plan development
   • Project Cooperation Agreement formalization
   • Hiring of national consultants/expert institution
3. Implementation (12-18 months)
   • Inception workshop
   • Implementation of activities according to work plan
   • Closing workshop
   • Development of final report (and possible review of the need for and eligibility of an additional project phase)

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