1. TOWARDS LOW CARBON
AND CLIMATE CHANGE RESILIENT TERRITORIES
A COMMON PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN
UNITED NATIONS
(UNDP, UNEP)
AND ASSOCIATIONS OF REGIONS
(NRG4SD, CPMR, NF, AIRF, AER, OLAGI, FOGAR, THE CLIMATE GROUP)

2. Fighting climate change: a necessity for human solidarity
Climate change is today an undeniable reality, and the developing countries which have contributed the least to green house gas emissions will
be the most vulnerable to its impacts. The 2007/2008 UNDP Human Development Report indicates that regions will be unevenly affected by
the impacts of climate change, and the poorest populations will bear the brunt of its consequences. There is little time left to act before climate
change undermines efforts made in the past years to achieve the MDGs.
A substantial change in our actions’logic is necessary in order to transfer technological and financial resources capable of successfully addressing
the climate challenge, notably in the least developed countries. It calls for the creation of a global partnership combining ambitious long term
policies at each decision-making level and an improved use of innovative financial mechanisms.
Sub-national authorities, a crucial level for the implementation of climate policies
• The subsidiary principle: importance and complementarity of all decision-making levels
Both UNDP in its 2008-2011 Climate Change Strategy, endorsed by its
Executive Board, and UNEP acknowledge the importance of
supporting each of the decision-making levels involved in climate change
management: international, national, provincial/regional and municipal.
It will be essential to identify and clarify the complementarities and the
most appropriate measures to be implemented by each level to ensure
maximum leverage for national policies.
• Atthecenterofsocialcohesion,sub-nationalauthoritiesare
entrusted with numerous responsibilities
While local and regional governments implement national policies,
they also have regulatory and planning functions. They are simultaneously policy-makers and investors in a number of sectors responsible for
greenhouse gas emissions (basic services, transportation, construction, training, etc ) or impacted by climate change (disaster risk reduction,
natural resource management, socio-economic development, etc.). Due to its close outreach to local levels and to civic society, the regional
level also encourages public consensus by going beyond organizational rationale, raising awareness of citizens and integrating the poorest
populations.
• The reduction of energy use and climate vulnerability is a challenge at the centre of local concerns
The implementation of climate strategies relies heavily on local behaviors and investment choices. Therefore, over and beyond the kind of
international and national frameworks in place, success can only be assured when activities targeting local populations and regions are carried
out simultaneous to national level initiatives.
Adaptation to climate change is a context-based ability to integrate the potential consequences of climate evolutions in medium to long-term
local planning decisions. The regional level is the most appropriate for the implementation of adaptation measures in a number of areas such as
agriculture, infrastructure planning, training, water resource management, etc.
Mitigation policies also hold direct linkages to the regional level since much of energy-use is local and a more systematic use of decentral-
ized energy sources as well as renewable energy provide immediate benefits at the regional level by promoting higher productivity in energy
consumption.
• Climate change creates risks but also opportunities for local development
Energy efficiency and local energy sources give developing countries the possibility to reduce their degree of reliance on imported fossil fuels,
increase energy access, create new economic opportunities as well as reduce health and environmental impacts linked to the use of fossil fuels.
Local authorities that have designed climate policies will also enhance their capacity to access new sources of financing (carbon finance, special
insurance products, innovative funds for adaptation, etc) that will contribute to local development.
BACKGROUND The Regions play their part for integrated climate and carbon-related activities
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3. The need for a paradigm shift: Towards a territorial approach to climate change management
The current approach, which favors the development of a wide array of small, dispersed and fragmented projects, must be abandoned in
favor of a comprehensive integrated local planning framework. To promote economic development and the transformation of their territories,
sub-national authorities need to integrate climate and carbon related constraints in local planning instruments.
The objectives of a territorial approach to climate change are:
- Enhance energy access and the creation of new economic activities through the development of clean production and consumption options at
the local level
- Reduce local vulnerability to climate variations and to fluctuations of energy prices.
The partners of the program will support sub-national authorities in the following areas:
• Exchanges of know-how and good practices developed at the regional level
• Provision of methodological tools and techniques necessary for the drafting of an Integrated
Territorial Climate Plan (ITCP)
• Training on the use of these tools, on the design of strategies and an ITCP
• Assistance to select projects within the ITCP and identification of the appropriate regulatory and
financial instruments: public policy / investment projects
• Technical assistance to facilitate access to new financial mechanisms.
A global and integrated approach, both in terms of sequencing as in scope
Three successive phases will be implemented (Figure 1) aiming at one objective: assist developing regions in preparing a climate change
strategy that can change the development path of their territory. After an awareness-raising phase, regions willing to work on integrated climate
change policies will prepare their ITCPs (mitigation/adaptation) through direct support and decentralized region-to-region cooperation and will
implement in the mid-term a number of projects identified in the plan.
Figure 1: A program implemented in three phases over the next five years
Towards carbon neutral and climate change resilient territories
Phase 1 : Awareness raising Phase 2: Analysis, assesment Phase 3 : Projects
and training and action plan
- UNFCC, Kyoto, HDR - Carbon Assesment (mitigation) - Identification
- Mitigation/adaptation - Vulnaribility Assesment - Set up
- Best Practices and mapping (adaptation) - Certification
- Technical solutions - Integrate Climate Plan - Financing
- Financial instruments and - Definition of adequate regulatory - PPPs
public policy and financial instruments - Management
Strengthen the capacities of regions in developing and emerging countries to design and
implement their Integrated Territorial Climate Plan (ITCP)
IMPLEMENTATION An ambitious program for scaling-up action to meet the climate change challenge
From
action plan
to project
implementation
Identification of
regions to
prepare
ITCPs
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STRATEGY

4. Phase 1: Increase awareness of 500 sub-national authorities on climate change
Sub-national authorities and local governments from developing countries need to be aware of the climate change challenges at stake, the existing
international framework and what they can do to further their own regional development with examples of initiatives successfully implemented
by other local authorities. They also need to understand what types of instruments – in terms of regulations, finance and technology – they can
take advantage of to ensure sustainable development within their region.
Organized by UNEP in close partnership with the associations of Regions, the first phase will include two major aspects:
- Preparation of knowledge dissemination tools: platform to exchange best practices, studies on innovative instruments, development and
adaptation of methodological tools.
- Organization of learning workshops by peers in regional groupings on the five continents. Representatives of sub-national authorities will be
invited to workshops gathering practitioners from other regions, as well as experts from the United Nations, central governments, NGOs, private
sector or academia.
The peer learning process will guarantee a better uptake of knowledge. In this framework, South-South and North-South decentralized coopera-
tion will be especially encouraged. Regions from developed countries will also benefit from sharing best practices on how to implement their own
territorial mitigation and adaptation policies.
Phase 2: Assist 50 regions in the preparation of their Integrated Territorial Climate Plan (ITCP)
The partners of the program will assist fifty regions in the preparation of their Territorial Climate Plan. This plan aims at ensuring long-term
sustainable development in the Region by developing clean production and more sustainable consumption patterns. The pilot regions will start
this process in the first half of 2009.
• The ITCP is prepared by putting in place the necessary frameworks to develop local capacities in three areas: local
governance, climate change, and financing.
Assisting developing regions in the establishment of a strategic process that can transform the development path of the territory requires a global
programmatic approach. This approach is built on three frameworks that integrate all the necessary elements for the design of an ambitious
climate strategy (figure 2):
- Governance structures to ensure alignment of the local action plan to the national policies, participation of local stakeholders and coordination
between partners.
- Planning of mitigation and adaptation activities based on diagnosis, scenarios, analysis, methodological tools, etc
- Identification of financing modalities for the implementation of the plan.
The partners of the program will assist regions through these different phases by providing technical assistance, offering tools, methods and
trainings and by facilitating exchanges and dissemination of good practices.
• A governance framework to increase the coordination and participation of stakeholders
Implement a territorial approach based on the ART Gold mechanisms – already in existence in more than fifteen developing countries- requires
setting up institutional arrangements to ensure:
- Coordination between local and national policies:The National Coordination
Committee gathering all involved national counterparts (national
authoritiesandpartners)controlsthattheITCPisinlinewithnationalclimate
change strategies.
- A participatory process: Local working groups are set up to allow
regular consultations of local stakeholders during the planning process.
- Coordination of donors: The ITCP is presented - in the CNC and
local groups - to donors that work in the region so that they can
coordinate their activities and align them with local priorities.
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5. • A planning process dealing with mitigation and adaptation, facilitated by the provision of methodological and decision
support tools.
Once objectives have been agreed upon, the Territory’s Climate Profile will be prepared in a participatory manner, and a strategy will be drafted
based on the following elements:
- Analysis of socio-economic conditions and local development priorities
- Analysis of mitigation issues (based on an assessment of greenhouse gas emissions of the territory and possible trends) and adaptation issues
(UNDP CLIMSAT platform will prepare a satellite map of current and future vulnerability of the territory based on a spatial and temporal
projection of possible climate change impacts depending on weather, environmental, socio-economic data and climate scenarios as prepared
by the IPCC)
- Analyses of the territory’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as risks and opportunities related to climate change
- Identification of possible actions and selection of options based on a cost-benefits analysis
Figure 2: The three platforms to build an Integrated Territorial Climate Plan
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6. • A financing strategy identifying implementation modalities for the climate plan
UNDP will assist sub-national authorities in identifying appropriate regulatory and financial instruments for the implementation of the actions
that have been selected by the ITCP.
Even if they are often dispersed and difficult to grasp, numerous financing mechanisms exist:
- Public–national: carbon taxes, tax credits, subsidies, national development banks,
export credits, low interest rate loans, etc.
- Private-national: energy saving certificates, green insurance contracts, etc.
- Public-international: Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), Global Environment
Facility (GEF), Adaptation Funds, ODA, etc.
- Private-international: direct investments, carbon finance, multilateral
development banks, etc.
Local authorities will be supported in being more aware of existing financing modalities and trying to match the most appropriate financing
mechanisms with the actions they have identified in the ITCP.
Phase 3: Strengthen in each target region more numerous and higher-quality projects, as well as a local capacity to
formulate them
• A financing strategy identifying implementation modalities for the climate plan.
Once the ITCP is established, the partners will assist the local authorities in identifying and formulating projects:
- New regulations and policies: regulation of the energy efficiency of buildings, revision
of urban planning documents, extension of emergency systems, introduction of carbon
taxes, financial incentives, etc.
- Material investments: building insulation, cogeneration (energy from waste), small solar
or wind energy farms, geothermal energy, sustainable transport, etc.
UNDP’s and other UN agencies’ support structures for financing carbon access (MDG
Carbon Facility, UN REDD, etc) will provide assistance for the development of carbon
investment projects.
• A leverage effect towards a sustainable economic development: facilitate access to new sources of financing for regions in
developing and transition countries
Meeting the climate change challenge requires large amount of technological and financial resources. ODA will serve as a catalyst and facilitate
the orientation of the existing flows towards future needs.
The program will develop and strengthen local capacities for the formulation of high-quality projects and for a better exploitation of existing
financing mechanisms. It will create an enabling environment for the mobilization of financial resources from private and public actors who are
keen to invest in projects of the future, economically advantageous and sustainable.
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7. Associations of Regions and Regions: chosen actors willing to share their experience
Eight Associations of Regions are partners of the program: Global Forum of Regions Associations, nrg4SD, Northern Forum, International
Association of Francophone Regions, Latin-American Organization for Intermediary Governments, European Assembly of Regions, Conference of
Peripheral Maritime Regions, The Climate Group.
Together, the associations are in the position to outreach more than 1000 regions worldwide.They will be instrumental in promoting the program,
raising the awareness of their members to climate change challenges, keeping an account of all regional-level activities, facilitating decentralized
cooperation, and emphasizing the importance of the territorial approach of development in international forums.
The associations will facilitate the establishment of direct partnerships between regions, and through decentralized cooperation, enable the
regions to exchange their know-how, their expertise, their financial resources and innovative and best practices developed at the regional level.
UNDP: technical support and overall management of the program cycle
Responsible for the overall program cycle, UNDP will provide the following assistance:
- Technical support, based on its fifteen-years worldwide experience in the implementation of adaptation and mitigation projects
- Operational management in the field, through its network of 166 country-offices
- Mobilization of financial resources and follow-up with partners
- Financial and Administrative Management (Trust Fund)
UNEP and other multilateral organizations: a specialized expertise available to all
In charge of promoting a sustainable management of the environment, UNEP has strong capacities in terms of outreach activities and knowledge
transfer in this field. Within this program, it has a core responsibility, in close collaboration with Associations of regions, of constituting and man-
aging a knowledge platform aiming at sharing best and innovative practices implemented by regions in the field of climate change.
In the framework of United Nations reform, other multilateral organizations are called to join the partnership.
States: accountable actors aware of the international challenges of climate governance
Responsible for defining international governance of climate change, the States are conscious that the objectives defined within the UNFCCC as
well as the promises made to least developed countries have not been fulfilled. By facilitating their realization in the regions and by thus creating
new economic opportunities, they will demonstrate the core relevance and necessity of international governance in this field.
Private sector: visionary actors willing to open the future markets
At the cutting edge of innovation and investments in new clean technologies, the private sector can
share its expertise with the regions where it has business activities. This capacity development will en-
able the creation of a sound environment for business and the opening of new markets.
A multi-partners governance framework, ensuring the consistency and the quality of
the program
The partners agree to jointly set up:
- A technical working group, made up of technical staff representing the signatory parties or approved
third-parties, in charge of defining the implementation modalities in terms of tools and methodologies.
- A steering committee, made up of institutional and political representatives of the signatory parties
to specify the institutional, administrative and financing modalities of the program and to establish a
monitoring procedure.
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PARTNERS The program benefits from the know-how and the commitment of each partner

8. UNDP already has an operational Trust Fund
Since 2006 UNDP has been managing a Trust Fund and has mobilized USD 50 million to implement programs based on a territorial approach to
development. This Trust Fund will be made available for this program on climate-related policies, and a separate, autonomous window will be
opened for that purpose.
The implementation of the program over 5 years requires USD 70M
Phase 1: USD 6M: - Training workshops in 22 regional groupings: 22*250,000= USD 5.5M
- Preparation, expertise, follow-up, reporting and evaluation: USD 0.5M
Phase 2: USD 40M - Carbon budget + mitigation action plans in 50 regions: 50*400,000= USD 20M
- Vulnerability maps + adaptation action plans: 50*300,000= USD 15M
- Preparation, expertise, follow-up, reporting, evaluation: USD 5M
Phase 3: USD 19M: - Identification and follow up of 4-6 projects included in the ITCP: 50*360,000= USD18M
- Preparation, expertise, follow-up, reporting and evaluation: USD 1.45M
United Nations Administrative support costs - General Management Support (GMS): 7%= USD 4.55M
The implementation of a ITCP in a region requires a minimum of USD 1M
The implementation of the program at the regional level depends on a certain number of factors and pre-conditions (willingness of national
authorities, UNDP country-office approval, etc) and the availability of a sufficient amount of financial resources.
Yannick Glemarec
UNDP Executive Coordinator for the GEF,
and Director of the Finance for Environment,
UNDP
yannick.glemarec@undp.org
Christophe Nuttall
Director, Hub for Innovative Partnerships,
UNDP
christophe.nuttall@undp.org
Olivier Deleuze,
Chief, Major Groups and Stakeholders Branch,
Division of Regional Cooperation,
UNEP
olivier.deleuze@unep.org
Christophe Bouvier,
Director, Regional Office for Europe,
UNEP
christophe.bouvier@unep.ch
Printed on recycled paper
CONTACTS
USD 70 million for the implementation of territorial strategies that would leverage USD 2.5
billion for projects in developing regions
FUNDS TO BE RAISED