As countries embark on implementing their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), climate targets in terms of mitigation and adaptation need to be translated into concrete national policies, measures, and actions. In 2018, PATPA, the IKI NDC Support Cluster, the UNDP NDC Support Programme, the LEDS Global Partnership, and the NDC Partnership established the Good Practice Database, which serves as a central hub for case studies on learning and leadership in climate action and NDC implementation.
The objective of this summary report is to synthesise the key findings from Good Practice Database cases, highlighting key elements of good practice and success factors that appear across multiple cases and can be considered important building blocks for designing and implementing ambitious climate action. The results of this analysis show a high level of continuity and consistency with the previous rounds of analyses, although a substantially higher amount of cases was included (52 in total). Almost all cases confirm the importance of stakeholder engagement and political buy-in to allow for successful mitigation and adaptation action. The effective alignment of activities with existing frameworks at the national or international level continues to be key. Furthermore, scientific analysis is still broadly considered to facilitate informed decision making in both mitigation and adaptation cases.
A more recent trend emphasises the importance of innovation for finding effective responses to complex challenges. Similarly, the aspect of transparency has received great attention in many new cases, reflecting the relevance attributed to the new Enhanced Transparency Framework established in the Paris Agreement. Finally, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are being increasingly discussed and suitable entry points sought in order to further align countries’ climate and development agendas.