Costa Rica and the Netherlands to Become NDC Partnership Co-Chairs in 2019 and 2020

After two successful years of global, collaborative action to further the Paris Agreement on climate change by over 100 members, Germany and Morocco will hand over their role as NDC Partnership Co-Chairs, while remaining on the Steering Committee.

KATOWICE, Poland, Dec. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- At a high-level event on the sidelines of the United Nations Climate Conference COP24 honoring two years of collaboration to advance climate and development action, German State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development Martin Jäger and Moroccan State Secretary in charge of Sustainable Development Nezha El Ouafi announced that the Federal Republic of Germany and the Kingdom of Morocco will be turning over their role as NDC Partnership Co-Chairs to the Republic of Costa Rica and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

At the event, German Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety Minister Svenja Schulze said, "The NDC Partnership is a successful forum for implementation. It is not about more negotiations, it is about action. It is about implementing the Paris Agreement at the country level. Countries in the NDC Partnership are supporting each other in implementing their NDCs. This is more than just financial support, it is a highly practical and trusting exchange. Many of us are struggling to implement our NDCs. But the NDC Partnership can help us deal with the challenge. It allows us to jointly drive forward implementation and to continuously raise ambition. This is why we today pledge an additional 20 million euros to the UN Development Programme for contributions to the NDC Partnership."

German State Secretary Martin Jäger said, "Implementing the Paris Agreement is not only imperative for securing a livable planet; it also is a great opportunity for sustainable development worldwide. The German government has been honored to co-chair the NDC Partnership during its first two years together with Morocco, and I am pleased to be able to pass on the torch today to strong champions of climate action: Costa Rica and the Netherlands. Germany will remain committed to our Partnership in the future. We are therefore providing an additional 48 million euros for joint action for NDC implementation."