Our Secretariat shares highlights from across the LEDS Global Partnership in 2017, as well as upcoming priorities in 2018.

2017 has been the busiest year yet for the LEDS Global Partnership. The Global NDC Conference in May demonstrated how creating momentum around peer exchange on topics such as finance, transparency, and integrated governance is key in implementing Nationally Determined Contributions, as identified in the 2015 Paris Agreement.

As a platform for sharing and exchanging best-practices, LEDS GP is uniquely positioned to accelerate NDC action in these areas. New products such as our updated Transport Toolkit, Country leadership explorer, and Resource guide for NDC finance have helped to drive our partnership both in numbers and in engagement.

In this blog, we look at some of the highlights from 2017, as well as a sneak peek at what’s in store for 2018.

Communities of practice

In 2017, over 40 practitioners across 20 governments worked with our Working Groups and Regional Platforms to develop dynamic communities of practice that foster exchange and provide a space for unique collaboration on low emission development strategies. Here are some highlights:

LEDS LAC and the Energy Working Group collaborated with representatives from Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Jamaica, and Uruguay to enhance peer to peer learning and strengthen capacities for designing and implementing bioenergy policies and financing mechanisms. Read more about the bioelectricity community of practice.

The Subnational Integration Working Group, LEDS LAC, and the Asia LEDS Partnership (ALP) launched a series of multilevel governance climate action teams to support different levels of government to integrate their planning and delivery of NDCs and long term low emission development strategies. Efforts are already underway in Paraguay, Chile, Laos and Sri Lanka, and teams will be expanded in 2018.

In partnership with the European Commission and the United Nations Environment Programme, LEDS GP supported eight African countries (Cameroon, Cote D’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, and Zambia) on LEDS planning and climate modelling. The Africa LEDS Project will disseminate the lessons learned in 2018 within five sub-regions of Africa in a broader regional training component.

The Africa minigrids community of practice was launched in Benin in June 2017 and enabled its members to exchange lessons and approaches for designing, implementing, and financing minigrids. In 2018, the community of practice will investigate best practices for attracting private finance to minigrids.

Remote Expert Assistance on LEDS (REAL)

In 2017, LEDS GP experts helped to develop over 10 policies and plans in member countries, with seven ongoing requests to be finalized in early 2018. Over the year, our REAL service:

• proposed a net metering policy in Bangladesh to promote rooftop solar photovoltaics;
• produced a guide on energy efficiency in Argentina’s freight transport sector (add link to the published guide);
• improved modelling results for concentrated solar power models in Chile; and
• strengthened South Sudan’s national transport policy through targeted training and peer-exchanges.

Find out more about our REAL service.

LEDS GP in 2018

In 2018, we will build on the communities of practice to enhance peer exchange and collaboration throughout the regions.

LEDS GP will continue to offer no cost advisory support to member countries on NDC and LEDS planning and implementation.

We will be publishing out 2018 Work Plan early next year, but in the meantime, feel free to contact the Secretariat for more information on how to engage. If you’re taking a holiday break at the end of this year, why not check out our latest resources on www.globalclimateactionpartnership.org/resources

Photo: LEDS GP