UNOPS – Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT)

In November 2015, the Italian Ministry for the Ecological Transition (Mite) joined the Initiative for Climate Action Transparency - ICAT with a financial contribution of 5 million euros to the associated UNOPS Trust Fund.

ICAT is a voluntary multilateral initiative, launched in November 2015, whose members are both donor countries and non-governmental actors.

Despite being a voluntary initiative, ICAT aims to contribute to the implementation of the Paris Agreement for the fight against climate change and, in particular, it aims to increase the capacity of beneficiary countries in reporting and transparency, in implementing their mitigation and adaptation commitments at national level, and in reporting on the use of financial resources and other means of implementation made available for this purpose.

The project to which, in addition to Italy, the German government and two philanthropic associations (Children Investment Fund Fundation and Climate Works) participate, aims to support the developing countries in the preparation of systems that make it possible to monitor, evaluate and report on the implementation of policies and actions to combat climate change and, in particular, the mitigation and adaptation commitments undertaken by the countries, including the so-called “Nationally Determined Contributions” (NDC).

ICAT has produced a series of guidelines aimed at supporting transparency and climate action, providing a "toolbox" of methods and tools for assessing the reduction of emissions, but also to support sustainable development and the transformative impacts of policies and actions carried out by countries.

In September 2018, a 18-month contract was signed in Rome between ISPRA and UNEP-DTU (as implementing bodies) and UNOPS (manager of the ICAT trust fund) to carry out in 12 beneficiary countries capacity building activities in terms of transparency and reporting on commitments undersigned by the parties, as required by the Paris Agreement (Article 13).

ISPRA will be able to transfer the experience acquired over the years in the accounting of climate-altering gases by carrying out training activities for public officials and other main stakeholders of the beneficiary countries. The activities will be carried out in a first phase with 6 beneficiary countries: Botswana, Ethiopia, Iran, Maldives, Tunisia and Bahamas, with which MiTE currently collaborates by promoting cooperation initiatives in the context of the fight against climate change.

In December 2020, donors agreed to extend the initiative to mid-2026, pledging to fund nearly $ 35 million to provide more support to countries in building their transparency frameworks and use them to implement, monitor and then further improve their National Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.

Transparency is a cornerstone of the Paris Agreement, it allows for international accountability between the contracting parties, contributes to effective political processes at the national level and the integration of climate action into national planning. It also provides a basis for the implementation of effective policies and actions and makes easier the monitoring of progresses towards the objectives set for 2030 and for decarbonisation.