Namibia is very committed to climate reporting and its obligations under UNFCCC. It has submitted four National Communications while the fourth Biennial Update Report is underway. Yet, the accuracy of Namibia’s greenhouse gas inventories and reporting could be further enhanced with better information on private sector GHG emissions.

In view of this, the Namibian Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism requested support from the Partnership on Transparency in the Paris Agreement through their Climate Helpdesk, aiming to raise awareness in the private sector for the importance of their engagement in data collection and provision.

In July 2020, 30 private sector and strategic actors participated in a hybrid workshop — online and face-to-face meeting— in Windhoek. It included discussions on confidentiality and challenges to data access and sharing. It was followed by three targeted online discussions with key stakeholders from rail, aviation, shipping and cement industries. Thus, the Climate Helpdesk created a platform for discussion with the private sector.

The knowledge gathered will be used for the improvement of Namibia’s national greenhouse gas inventory. Furthermore, as a result of the Climate Helpdesk support, the Ministry will now work to maintain the momentum and continue to liaise with key stakeholders. As a next step, it will prepare Memoranda of Understanding to discuss with companies. Additionally, the Climate Helpdesk recommended that the Ministry should build systems for dealing with sensitive data and data supply agreements to address concerns voiced by the private sector regarding the confidential nature of some of the information. Overall, new synergies have been sparked which contribute towards developing a climate-savvy private sector in Namibia.

About the Climate Helpdesk

The Climate Helpdesk is a joint service offered by two global initiatives: LEDS GP and Partnership on Transparency in the Paris Agreement (PATPA). The Climate Helpdesk offers countries ad hoc support in designing, implementing and updating Nationally Determined Contributions, Low Emission Development Strategies and national transparency systems.

As a global advisory network, the Climate Helpdesk provides rapid, high-quality, short-term technical assistance for countries in the Global South. It accepts requests from developing countries and government agencies. Technical and other institutions and organisations, that are working directly with national governments to plan and implement their Nationally Determined Contributions, Low Emission Development Strategies or transparency systems, may also request support if endorsed by the national UNFCCC focal point or the Ministry of Environment.

For more information

Visit: Climate Helpdesk (transparency-partnership.net).