A GUIDE TO INDCS INTENDED NATIONALLY DETERMINED CONTRIBUTIONS

This guide, published by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) in May 2015, provides practical templates and guidance for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to prepare their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

• The guide is designed to help LDCs and SIDS navigate common challenges in INDC preparation, including low global emission shares, limited analytical capacity, and high climate vulnerability, where adaptation is often a primary focus.
• Under the Lima Call for Climate Action, LDCs and SIDS are permitted to communicate INDCs that reflect their special circumstances, allowing them to use specific strategies, plans, or projects rather than the absolute or economy-wide emission reduction commitments expected of developed countries.
• The guide proposes a structured INDC template consisting of several key sections: National Context, Mitigation Contribution, Information to facilitate clarity, transparency and understanding, Fair and ambitious, Adaptation, Planning Process, and Means of Implementation.
• Mitigation contributions can be formulated as action-based (focusing on specific activities like laws or projects), outcome-based (focusing on emission reductions relative to a base year or baseline), or a combination of both.
• Outcome-based contributions may take several forms, including reductions relative to a historical base year, a fixed absolute level, base year greenhouse gas intensity (e.g., per unit of GDP), or a baseline scenario (e.g., below business-as-usual).
• To ensure international comparability and transparency, the guide recommends providing quantifiable information on reference points, timeframes for implementation, scope of gases and sectors covered, and the methodological approaches used for accounting.
• The guide suggests that countries justify their contributions as 'fair and ambitious' by using metrics such as historical responsibility, per capita emissions, GDP per capita, and national mitigation potential.
• Adaptation components in INDCs should highlight the role of adaptation in sustainable development, existing plans like National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), and the synergies where adaptation activities provide mitigation co-benefits.
• The 'Means of Implementation' section is intended to help international partners target support by detailing the specific financial, capacity-building, and technology transfer needs required to achieve conditional contributions.

APA

Holdaway, E., Dodwell, C., Sura, K., & Picot, H. (2015). A GUIDE TO INDCS INTENDED NATIONALLY DETERMINED CONTRIBUTIONS. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/CDKN-Guide-to-INDCs-Revised-May2015.pdf

Chicago

Holdaway, Emelia, Chris Dodwell, Kiran Sura, and Helen Picot. A GUIDE TO INDCS INTENDED NATIONALLY DETERMINED CONTRIBUTIONS. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2015. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/CDKN-Guide-to-INDCs-Revised-May2015.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Holdaway |first1=Emelia |last2=Dodwell |first2=Chris |last3=Sura |first3=Kiran |last4=Picot |first4=Helen |title=A GUIDE TO INDCS INTENDED NATIONALLY DETERMINED CONTRIBUTIONS |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=May 2015 |url=http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/CDKN-Guide-to-INDCs-Revised-May2015.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{holdaway2015guide, author = {Holdaway, Emelia and Dodwell, Chris and Sura, Kiran and Picot, Helen}, title = {{A GUIDE TO INDCS INTENDED NATIONALLY DETERMINED CONTRIBUTIONS}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2015}, month = may, url = {http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/CDKN-Guide-to-INDCs-Revised-May2015.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }