News
Global Dialogue on Initiatives to support Low Emission Development
March 02 2011
The World Bank and ESMAP's low carbon development program was presented to global participants at a workshop held in Washington DC on February 2-3, 2011, by Jane Ebinger, Coordinator for Energy and Climate Change. The “Low Emission Development Strategy Initiatives: Building a Global Dialogue” event was sponsored by the US Government, European Commission, the German Ministry of Environment, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and the World Resources Institute. The purpose of this workshop was to facilitate a collaborative dialogue among governments, foundations and NGO’s that are focused on the development of low emission development planning programs in developing countries. This workshop provided detailed information and initial lessons learned regarding the various programs underway, as well as information on initiatives related to information sharing and knowledge building on low emission development strategies (LEDS), and LEDS-related activities. The goal of the workshop was to exchange information and develop strategies for future collaboration on low emissions development planning.
The workshop brought together representatives from the Ministries of Environment in Columbia and Mexico, bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors, think tanks and NGOs engaged in supporting the development of or implementation of low emission development strategies, Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs), Technology Needs Assessments and other related initiatives.
Participants shared outcomes from the UNFCCC Conference of Parties in Cancun that could influence approaches to mitigation. In addition, they shared experiences with low emission planning and strategy development from around the globe, including perspectives from Colombia and Mexico. A country-level coordination pilot program was identified in Colombia under the Ministry of Housing, Environment and Territorial Development. This pilot program will provide a potential model for coordinating low emission development programs in their early design and scoping phases at country-specific levels. Coordinated messages on low emission development strategies will be targeted to a variety of audiences in order to maximize their impact. The audiences include the private sector, policymakers, host-country governments, and technical implementers.
Discussions were held on the building blocks for low carbon assessment and existing and needed knowledge in this area. On the second day of the workshop, participants brainstormed on mechanisms and instruments that could support enhanced coordination at a country, regional and global level on LEDS and NAMAs and actions that could be taken to help inform monitoring and evaluation systems for mitigation.