ESCAP-UN Climate Change partnership to strengthen climate action in Asia-Pacific

UN Climate Change and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) have signed a new agreement to strengthen regional climate action, with a focus on meeting the targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement.

At a signing ceremony ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bangkok, acting Executive Secretary of ESCAP Honjoo Hahm highlighted that climate action must be boosted across the region if the aim of staying well below a 2⁰C of temperature increase is to be achieved. “Our new partnership with UN Climate Change will help build awareness and strengthen climate change leadership by engaging governments, civil society and business leaders to boost climate action at both regional and national levels,” he said.

ESCAP’s partnership with UN Climate Change will build on existing initiatives, and identify joint projects that strengthen leadership, enhance capacity, and promote collaboration of public and private sectors to implement country-driven mitigation and adaptation activities. The agreement aims to ensure policy coherence by aligning Asia-Pacific’s approach to implementing the Paris Agreement and the NDCs with the Regional Roadmap for Implementation of the 2030 Agenda, as well as regional efforts on financing for development.