Mozambique is making progress towards an enhanced climate transparency framework supported by ICAT and implemented by UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre (UNEP-CCC). 

Climate transparency has been taken to a new level in Mozambique. 

Tracking impact and progress on climate action is key to ensure transparency and enhance national planning capacities, and Mozambique is taking concrete steps to track climate action in key emitting sectors in the country. Mozambique is also establishing formal institutional arrangements for climate transparency frameworks  while building the capacity of technical staff to ensure consistent and sustainable peer-to-peer learning.

These achievements are the results of the work done by the Ministry of Land and Environment of the government of Mozambique, as part of the ICAT project. ICAT responds to  critical country needs by providing support and capacity building in developing countries using various tools and methodologies that tap into the transparency requirements of the Paris Agreement. 

The National Director for Climate Change at the Ministry of Land and Environment, Jadwiga Massinga, opened the final validation workshop hosted in Maputo, Mozambique, on 24 May, where she acknowledged not only the results of the project, but the efforts behind achieving them.

The workshop and surrounding meetings on climate action transparency concluded with representatives from Mozambique expressing a clear interest to roll out the next phase of the ICAT project.

Sustainable capacity building

Mozambique is a country highly vulnerable to climate change, where extreme climate events already pose a serious threat to the development of the country, its population, and its infrastructure. 

In 2017, the country began the first phase of the ICAT project. In this phase, the work focused on strengthening Mozambique’s institutional framework for measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of greenhouse gas emissions, mitigation actions, and support, and on the application of ICAT guidance tools to assess emissions and sustainable development impacts of selected climate policies, building a roadmap for future transparency work in the country.

Following the first ICAT phase, Mozambique initiated a second phase of transparency work in 2020. The results of this second phase were presented at the workshop in Maputo.

Through phase II, the country institutionalized data collection for the national MRV system with formal attribution of mandates and responsibilities in a NDC tracking system. The project also identified central indicators and produced guidance for tracking the progress and achievement of Mozambique’s NDC and related climate actions. 

Taking Mozambique’s limited capacity to implement transparency requirements, procedures and guidelines into account, phase II also implemented a training program for current and future members of an Interagency Group on Climate Change, and contributed to the establishment of a strong and cohesive group of expert technicians who contribute to the sustainability of climate change reporting.

Looking towards Article 6 and NDC tracking integration

Building on the results of the first two phases of the ICAT project, Mozambique is now looking towards a third phase. This is envisioned to not only build on and operationalize the NDC tracking system from the previous phases, but also take advantage of a new ICAT guide on voluntary cooperation under the Paris Agreement that enables carbon market engagement.

“Mozambique still intends to participate in voluntary collaboration approaches through market and non-market approaches but needs capacity building to understand the new challenges and opportunities arising from Article 6 of the Paris Agreement,” Jadwiga Massinga explained during the workshop.

Building on this point, ICAT Director, Dr. Henning Wuester, emphasized the need to be strategic when approaching the opportunities brought about by Article 6.

“It is critical to plan effectively for Article 6 participation, and integrate this into planning for NDC implementation, because any CO2e units sold by Mozambique will be accounted for against the country’s NDC targets,” cautioned Dr. Wuester. 

Working with stakeholders in different sectors in Mozambique, two surveys have already been conducted on feasibility of engaging in international cooperation under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, and on how best to track NDC implementation. If a third phase gets on the way, these will be part of the basis for making sure that the transparency work in Mozambique continues to meet local needs.