NDCs: Instruments promoting national development agendas in SIDS

This research paper examines the alignment between Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and national development plans in seven small island developing states (SIDS), finding a narrow sectoral focus in NDCs that misses opportunities for policy coherence and resilience building.

• An analysis of seven small island developing states (SIDS) reveals that while NDC actions generally align with themes in national development plans, the sectors identified as climate priorities in NDCs are narrow and do not reflect the broader scope of national development agendas.
• Sectors that are heavily emphasized in SIDS development plans—specifically health, education, economic management, transport, land use planning, and governance and institutions—are typically absent from NDCs. This omission is noted as surprising for adaptation priorities, which should address both climate-sensitive sectors and the underlying conditions causing community vulnerability.
• The authors attribute these patterns to material or normative biases regarding which sectors are considered climate-relevant, which limits the potential for NDCs to reinforce development agendas and improve resilience outcomes. Broadening the identification of adaptation priorities would likely increase synergies between NDCs and national development plans.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2019). NDCs: Instruments promoting national development agendas in SIDS. https://www.sei.org/publications/ndcs-instruments-promoting-national-development-agendas-sids/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. NDCs: Instruments promoting national development agendas in SIDS. 2019. https://www.sei.org/publications/ndcs-instruments-promoting-national-development-agendas-sids/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=NDCs: Instruments promoting national development agendas in SIDS |date=28 April 2019 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/ndcs-instruments-promoting-national-development-agendas-sids/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2019ndcs, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{NDCs: Instruments promoting national development agendas in SIDS}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2019}, month = apr, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/ndcs-instruments-promoting-national-development-agendas-sids/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }