Transparency data

Climate Diplomacy Fund Summary

Updated 26 August 2022

Overview

The purpose of the Climate Diplomacy Fund is to support delivery of Climate Diplomacy Policy objectives. The fund’s creation reflects the FCDO’s position that Climate Change is a foreign policy priority. In 2021 the UK hosted COP26, and the 2021/22 fund supports activities that both supported delivery of objectives at COP26, and the objectives of the UK Presidency following November 2021.

Objectives on Climate Diplomacy

The Climate Diplomacy Fund (CDF) is a non-ODA priority for the International Programme in 2021-22. The objective of the CDF was to build the conditions for an ambitious negotiated outcome at COP 26 and deliver Country Implementation Plans, documents written in 2020 by posts detailing their objectives, delivery plan, communications plan and stakeholder mapping. In 2021 funding was allocated to sovereign missions based on objectives for COP26. Allocations were made by prioritising funding for regional events, SIDS, climate vulnerable countries, smaller posts, and the four campaign goals.

Activity was required to contribute to at least one of the Climate Change Policy Objectives:

• build the conditions for a successfully negotiated outcome and overall event, with shared expectations at COP26​
• deliver stronger sectoral action to accelerate transitions to clean growth in the global economy ​
• taise partner country ambition through increased national commitments (NDCs) and net zero targets

The projects help support these objectives in-country including raising awareness, inclusion and momentum around COP26. Projects range from providing UK technical assistance in the energy transition, funding of a mobile visa centre to facilitate delegate travel to COP, the training of future negotiators on the UNFCCC and the hosting of webinars and events raising awareness and engagement on COP26. Below is a sample of the project proposals:

• collaboration between OpEPA (Organisation for Environmental Education and Protection) and the UK to train future Colombian negotiators on the UNFCCC process and secure the participation of one of them in COP26 as part of the country’s official delegation. The remaining resources were used to help pay for a liaison officer in Glasgow, in charge of securing delivery of President Duque’s role as Champion of Nature, as well as many events aiming to showcase UK expertise and bilateral collaboration
• worked with the Business Council for Sustainable Development Malaysia (BCSDM) on two business-focused webinars in partnership with the Embassy of Italy. We focused on smart city integration and ESG principles for green investments in Malaysia with guest speakers from Malaysia, the UK and Italy. About 150 participants attended each, which gave an opportunity to highlight the importance of COP26, the need for climate action across cities and making green finance work in the transition. Following these events various ESG focused discussions are taking place in Malaysia on how green/sustainable finance can help in the net zero space

• supported Malawi’s Green Climate Conference (GCC) held in August 2021 partnering with the Government of Malawi, UNDP and UNEP. The GCC provided a platform to come up with viable options for environmental sustainability, greater resilience and greener COVID-19 recovery in Malawi. It:

  • helped define development pathways for the attainment of a low carbon emission and climate resilience nation by 2050
  • contributed to the revised Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)
  • improved the country’s position paper to COP26.  The GCC visibly affirmed the UK’s status as a key partner to Malawi on tackling climate change, supporting development and reducing poverty
• Ofgem provided technical assistance to the Azerbaijan Energy Regulatory Agency to influence their early thinking on energy market reforms and liberalisation. This market-shaping assistance covers energy tariffs, unbundling, renewables, regulatory diplomacy and facilitating security of supply in market arrangements. This project will help to create better and more liberal market conditions, rules and standards that would suit the UK prosperity interests and exports offer, and will accelerate clean energy transition in Azerbaijan

• partnered with a local organisation (Women Environmental Programme) to carry out three activities to support Nigeria’s participation at COP26:

  • a youth consultation conference with representatives from key youth groups (such as Resilient40, Cheveners, Nigeria’s Youth4Climate, African Youth Initiative on Climate Change, YOUNGO), CSOs, government institutions and the media
  • a workshop on gender-just climate solutions with women, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups
  • two Media Action for COP26 programmes on live radio, the target was to reach a diverse audience including local communities and provide information on climate change and COP26
• fund was used to bring a mobile visa centre to Mali which facilitated the participation of about sixty people to COP26 and COY16 including two ministers, representatives from the parliament, CSOs, private sector, youth, and women organisations ensuring that the voice of the country was heard at the event
• hosted an event with Ecuador’s Climate Change Committee where we invited the UK’s CCC to speak. Delivered a Sustainability Week featuring British businesses working in LATAC and sponsored a refill water station in the Galapagos to reduce single-use plastics in the islands. We have USD 1,650 allocated to support DIT in a project to implement the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) standard in Ecuador

Climate Diplomacy fund budget for financial year 2021 to 2022

The non-ODA budget for the climate diplomacy fund is £1.2m