Strengthening Civil Society Participation in the NDC Revision Process: Insights from Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia

The paper examines the role of civil society organisations (CSOs) in the NDC revision processes of Mozambique, South Africa, and Zambia, identifying barriers to participation and proposing strategies to enhance inclusivity for the 2025 revisions.

• Civil society organisations (CSOs) are essential for ensuring that governments are aware of the diverse risks faced by society, advocating for ambitious climate actions, and holding governments accountable to their commitments. They serve as a "vital link between the ground-level realities of climate change and the world of climate policy and practice".
• In Mozambique, the NDC revision process faced inclusivity challenges due to a lack of technical understanding of NDC details among CSOs, short notice for meetings, and the COVID-19 pandemic, which limited internet access for virtual consultations. The paper notes that "some felt the process was insufficiently inclusive, with limited opportunities for meaningful participation".
• South Africa's NDC process utilised the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) to coordinate stakeholders, including business, youth, labour, and civil society. However, CSOs argue that the revised NDC lacks a specific section on mitigation challenges in the fishing and agricultural sectors and does not fully reflect the "deep transformation needed for a just transition".
• Zambia's NDC revision process included various platforms for public engagement, such as cluster advisory groups and the Zambian Climate Change Network (ZCCN). Despite this, challenges remained regarding a "lack of clarity on participation mechanisms" and inconsistent application of gender representation, which marginalised underrepresented voices.
• To improve inclusivity in future NDC cycles, the paper recommends that governments move beyond written submissions and workshops by using innovative communication channels, such as radio and social media, and conducting face-to-face community gatherings like "imbizo-type events" to capture Indigenous knowledge.
• The document argues that civil society should be involved early in the policy design phase rather than only after a draft has been produced. It suggests that "Government should implement engagement processes that involve civil society early in the NDC development process" to ensure missing information is identified before revisions begin.
• A significant barrier to CSO effectiveness is a lack of funding and the complexity of accreditation with multilateral funds. The paper recommends that governments support CSOs in securing accreditation from entities like the Green Climate Fund and the Global Environment Fund.

APA

SACK, H., MC LEAN, J., CHIBAMBO, L., & MACAMO, C. (2024). Strengthening Civil Society Participation in the NDC Revision Process: Insights from Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/SAIIA_OP_357_CivilSocietyParticipation.pdf

Chicago

SACK, HANNAH, JORDAN MC LEAN, LYDIA CHIBAMBO, and CELIA MACAMO. Strengthening Civil Society Participation in the NDC Revision Process: Insights from Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2024. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/SAIIA_OP_357_CivilSocietyParticipation.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=SACK |first1=HANNAH |last2=MC LEAN |first2=JORDAN |last3=CHIBAMBO |first3=LYDIA |last4=MACAMO |first4=CELIA |title=Strengthening Civil Society Participation in the NDC Revision Process: Insights from Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=June 2024 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/SAIIA_OP_357_CivilSocietyParticipation.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sack2024strengthening, author = {SACK, HANNAH and MC LEAN, JORDAN and CHIBAMBO, LYDIA and MACAMO, CELIA}, title = {{Strengthening Civil Society Participation in the NDC Revision Process: Insights from Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2024}, month = jun, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/SAIIA_OP_357_CivilSocietyParticipation.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }