The following are the mechanisms to which the MEGJC / CCD serves as Focal Point:

1. National Focal Point to the UNFCCC with the responsibility to ensure close cooperation with the Convention Secretariat, including the preparation of national communications, identification of national financial and technical support needs and negotiate, accept, approve and/or endorse activities implemented jointly.
2. National Designated Authority (NDA) to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) with the responsibility of engaging stakeholders, issuing No-Objection Letters, approve readiness support, provide nomination letters for direct access. The function of the NDA is delegated by the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service to the Ministry for Economic Growth and Job Creation (MEGJC)/Climate Change Division (CCD).
3. Designated Authority (DA) to the Adaptation Fund (AF) with the responsibility of endorsing project/programme proposals by Implementing Entities for adaptation project in the country, and accreditation applications of National Implementing Entities to access resources of the AF
4. National Designated Entity (NDE) to the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) which has the responsibility of managing technical assistance requests made to CTCN for addressing barriers that hinder the development and transfer of climate technologies.
5. Co-Focal point with the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) to the NDC Partnership with the responsibility to provide guidance on in-country technical assistance needs and to develop and implement a Partnership Plan for the implementation of National Determined Contributions (NDC).

The climate change agenda is implemented at three levels with the Government of Jamaica (GoJ) collaborating and receiving support from a myriad of national, regional and international partners and engagement in varying mechanisms. All actions are taken to first fulfil the goals of the Vision 2030 – and to meet our obligations to the international community.

• Regional Level

At a regional level, Jamaica collaborates with the following entities to advance regional efforts, activities and projects for climate action:

The Caribbean Cooperative MRV Hub (“MRV Hub”)

The Caribbean Cooperative MRV Hub (“MRV Hub”) is a new regional institution designed to support Member Countries in their efforts to: improve MRV systems, build Paris Agreement reporting capabilities, and enhance their domestic evidence-based policymaking. A key design innovation of the MRV Hub is that it will function as a true learning and mentoring cooperative.

Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC – 5Cs)

Through its role as a Centre of Excellence, the CCCCC supports the people of the Caribbean to address the impact of climate variability and change on all aspects of economic development, through the provision of timely forecasts and analyses of potentially hazardous impacts of both natural and man-induced climatic changes on the environment, and the development of special programmes which create opportunities for sustainable development.

Jamaica sits as a member of the governing mechanism that guides the operations of the entity and is expected to assume the Chairmanship of the Board of Governors for 2020/2022, which translates into more oversight on policy advise and guidelines to the Caribbean (CARICOM) Member States.

UNFCCC Regional Collaborative Centre (RCC), St George’s

The Regional Collaboration Centres (RCCs) support national climate action through capacity- building, technical assistance and strategic networking – sourcing know-how and resources to drive clean development. Jamaica has been among several countries that continue to receive support from the Centre in the areas of transparency and capacity building.

Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE)

CCREEE is an institution of CARICOM with a mandate to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency investments, markets and industries in the Caribbean. CCREEE aims at improving access to modern, affordable and reliable energy services, energy security and mitigation of negative externalities of the energy system (e.g. local pollution and greenhouse gas emissions) by promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency. Headquartered in Bridgetown, Barbados, CCREEE is playing its role to help transition Caribbean economies to low carbon, based particularly with research and technical studies for the energy sector.

Jamaica is currently benefiting from a regional initiative to produce Integrated Resource & Resilience Plan (IRRP) for island states with one key focus being to make the electricity networks more resilient.

• International Level

Shaping of the climate agenda takes place at the international level, primarily through negotiations under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement. Jamaica actively participates and negotiates through the two negotiating blocks; the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) currently being chaired by the Government of Samoa (to December 2024) and the Group of 77 and China presently being chaired by Cuba in 2023.

Committees and Other Bodies

At present, Jamaica is represented on various committees and bodies that support implementation of the Convention, the Paris Agreement and the negotiation process that shapes the global climate agenda; among them are:

• The Executive Board (EB) of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
• The Adaptation Committee (AC)
• The Executive Committee (Excom) of the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage (WIM)
• The NDC Partnership Steering Committee
• The Technology Executive Committee (TEC)

1. Membership Networks and Coalitions

Jamaica has joined the membership of global knowledge networks, international coalitions and platforms to access technical, financial support and to enhance its capacity to implement climate action. The benefits include but are not limited to acquiring access to a larger network of international partners, international private sector, academia, think tanks, etc. which helps the country mobilise support beyond borders and build a peer community. The main membership- based networks and coalitions Jamaica has joined to date include:

The NDC Partnership is a coalition with 112 member countries and 71 institutional and associate members committed to supporting countries in implementing and increasing the ambition of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Jamaica joined the Partnership in the Summer of 2018. The Focal Points of Jamaica to the Partnership are the Climate Change Division, Ministry of Economic Growth and Jobs Creation and the Planning Institute of Jamaica.

The Partnership seeks to enhance cooperation to build in-country capacity through coordinated support from its members and by i) facilitating technical assistance and knowledge sharing; ii) by creating and disseminating insightful knowledge products, and iii) by promoting enhanced financial support for NDC implementation.

The Partnership is guided by a Steering Committee, which includes the World Bank (WB), is comprised of developed and developing nations and international institutions, and facilitated by a Support Unit hosted by World Resources Institute (WRI) in Washington, DC and the UNFCCC in Bonn, Germany. Currently the Partnership is co-chaired by the governments of the Netherlands and Costa Rica.

Jamaica has Co-Chaired the Partnership for the period of 2021/2023 with the United Kingdom. The Partnership represents a way to promote a new way of multilevel multilateralism that allows countries like Jamaica, to increase engagement in climate action. As a Co-Chair, Jamaica directly contributed to the NDC Partnership work programme to innovate, collaborate, co-create, and learn from the membership and supporting institutions.

The Coalition was launched in April 2019, at the Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund. It aims at driving stronger collective action on climate change and its impacts. The Coalition abides by seven principles designed to support Finance Ministers to share best practices and experiences on macro, fiscal, and public financial management policies for low-carbon transformation. Jamaica, through the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service (MoFPS), endorsed the creation of this Coalition as an important platform to highlight the role of fiscal planning in addressing climate change, and the role of partnerships in advancing disaster risk financing. Through this membership, at the national level Jamaica will benefit from a closer collaboration between the MEGJC and the MOFPS ensuring budget and fiscal consistency with the national climate actions agenda. At the international level, Jamaica will benefit from expanded knowledge on best practices for the incorporation of climate considerations in macro-economic, fiscal and policy planning and public investment processes; as well as capacity building and technical assistance support.

Jamaica has joined the Coalition of Climate Resilient Investment (CCRI) which is a global private sector led initiative to help mobilise private finance in infrastructure. This initiative has grown into 50 members including institutional investors, banks, engineers, insurers and rating agencies.

In Jamaica, CCRI implemented the “Jamaica Systemic Risk Assessment Tool” of the water and transport networks to understand and identify its risk exposure and establish the economic value in relation to GDP. This assessment will complement Public-Private Partnerships to mobilize capital investments through the Development Bank of Jamaica and other Financial Institutions.

1. International Advocacy

Jamaica’s national efforts to fulfil international commitments as a party to the UNFCCC, as well as its consistent advancement of the climate change agenda at the national, regional and international levels have positioned the country as a “Climate Champion Country” and a regional leader. The most recent example was the mandate given to the Prime Minister of Jamaica by the United Nations Secretary General, to co-lead with President Emanuel Macron from France and the Emir of Qatar, Sheik Al-Thani, the Climate Finance and Carbon Pricing Coalition of the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit, which is deemed to be the second most important Climate Event aside from the Climate Negotiations (i.e. Conference of Parties).

Developing a National Climate Agenda and setting the necessary governance, institutional and legal framework for its effective implementation is just one part of the national efforts. International advocacy is increasingly necessary to mobilise the necessary technical and financial support for Jamaica to meet climate national targets and transition into a sustainable, resilient and low-carbon economy.

Participating and managing Jamaica’s engagement in the Climate Change Agenda at the international level will play a key role in economic recovery and create the space for further collaboration with International Partners. It is therefore expected that the GoJ will continue to support the participation of Jamaica in as many international events and fora as necessary., as domestic resources will not be sufficient to tackle the magnitude of the climate change issues.

1. National Adaptation Plan

In an effort to enhance adaptive capacity, the CCD identified the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) as critical to advancing the country’s climate change agenda. The overall goal of the NAP project is to develop the inclusive, systematic and participatory national adaptation planning and implementation framework for Jamaica by 2025. The NAP will have a two phased approach: Phase 1 – National Adaptation Planning and Phase 2 – Sub-national adaptation planning, governance and institutional coordination; evidence basis produced to design adaptation solutions for maximum impact; catalysed private sector engagement in adaptation; and an increase in adaptation finance.

1. Long-term Strategy for Climate Change

According to the Paris  Agreement “All Parties should strive to formulate and communicate long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategies”, also know colloquially as Long-term Strategies (LTS).

Submission of an LTS allows a country to communicate how their short-term climate policy objectives, found in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and other policy documents, contribute to sustainable development pathways that align with the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement.

The CCD with support from the 2050 Pathways Project has completed the production of the 2050 Long-Term Emission Reduction And Climate Resilient Strategy For Jamaica. The document is currently being presented to Cabinet for approval and subsequent submission to The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

1. GCF Readiness Programme in Jamaica

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is the world’s largest dedicated fund helping developing countries reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and enhance their ability to respond to climate change. It is a financial mechanism of the UNFCCC. To date Jamaica has mobilised over US$6.6 million in GCF readiness support to strengthen its institutional capacity to access climate finance.

1. Implementation of transport & energy contributions in the Caribbean (ITECC) – transforming the energy and transport sectors towards a low- carbon and climate-resilient future

The aim of this regional programme is to support CARICOM Member States in enhancing the ambition of their NDCs and in implementing transformative actions within the energy and transport nexus. Jamaica is expected to be one of two flagship countries for implementation of this programme, and the focus will be placed on enhancements in the transport sector to examine e-mobility frameworks and technology acquisition.

1. Other Initiatives

With support from the UN Capital Development Fund, the CCD is collaborating with the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development to pilot the Local Climate Adaptive Living (LoCAL) Facility’s mechanism that will channel financing for adaptation at the local level.