INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR DOMESTIC ACTION

The document argues that shifting to low-carbon technologies requires a comprehensive 'enabling environment' consisting of innovation capacity, human and institutional skills, regulatory frameworks, and finance. It proposes a capability-innovation framework to match international support mechanisms to a country's specific level of development and the maturity stage of the technology (R&D, demonstration, deployment, and diffusion). The authors suggest that Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) should serve as the primary vehicle for developing countries to define domestic needs, which can then be supported by tailored international mechanisms such as R&D cooperation, Global Technology Demonstration Funds, and technical assistance. The paper emphasizes that for these mechanisms to be effective, they must be coordinated with domestic policy and monitored through specific quantitative indicators to facilitate international learning and accountability.

• The adoption and diffusion of low-carbon technologies depend on an 'enabling environment' that includes technology innovation, human and institutional capacity, markets, regulatory frameworks, and the availability of finance.
• International support should be tailored to the specific needs of a country and the stage of technological development. Low-income countries typically require support for the capacity to operate, maintain, adopt, and regulate technologies, while higher-income developing countries may benefit more from R&D cooperation, intellectual property rights (IPR) agreements, and demonstration funds to increase their capacity to innovate.
• The paper identifies four distinct phases of technology innovation—research & development, demonstration, deployment, and diffusion—each with unique barriers. R&D faces proof-of-concept hurdles; demonstration deals with scaling up; deployment is hindered by cost barriers; and diffusion requires the simplification of regulatory frameworks to make the technology a standard.
• Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) are proposed as the mechanism to link domestic action with international support. The suggested process involves drafting a low-carbon development strategy, defining specific actions via NAMAs, utilizing international technology mechanisms to fill resource gaps, and using indicators to monitor progress.
• Public finance is most effective when used to address barriers in the enabling environment to trigger private investment. For example, in Egypt, the lack of private wind investment was attributed to subsidized domestic natural gas, which made alternative energy producers unable to compete.
• The authors argue for the implementation of quantitative policy indicators within NAMAs to replace the current UNFCCC reporting format, which only provides sectoral emissions data. These indicators would allow for quicker responses to barriers and facilitate international learning and mutual accountability.

APA

Bazilian, M., de Coninck, H., Cosbey, A., & Neuhoff, K. (2009). INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR DOMESTIC ACTION. Climate Strategies. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/isda-technology-framework-paper-august-2009-2.pdf

Chicago

Bazilian, Morgan, Heleen de Coninck, Aaron Cosbey, and Karsten Neuhoff. INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR DOMESTIC ACTION. Climate Strategies, 2009. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/isda-technology-framework-paper-august-2009-2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bazilian |first1=Morgan |last2=de Coninck |first2=Heleen |last3=Cosbey |first3=Aaron |last4=Neuhoff |first4=Karsten |title=INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR DOMESTIC ACTION |publisher=Climate Strategies |date=10 August 2009 |url=https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/isda-technology-framework-paper-august-2009-2.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bazilian2009international, author = {Bazilian, Morgan and de Coninck, Heleen and Cosbey, Aaron and Neuhoff, Karsten}, title = {{INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR DOMESTIC ACTION}}, institution = {Climate Strategies}, year = {2009}, month = aug, url = {https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/isda-technology-framework-paper-august-2009-2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }