New NDC for COP30

Since 2016, the Comoros has been making progress in the global process to combat climate change. After an initial submission of its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), the country presented a revised version in 2021, incorporating the archipelago’s vulnerabilities.

On Tuesday, September 23, the government launched a new update, marking a key milestone ahead of the 30th Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP30) and the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement.

This updated document sets out priority actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen adaptation to climate impacts. This approach is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Emerging Comoros Plan (ECP), and the National Adaptation Plan (NAP).

According to Mustapha Ben Messaoud, Acting Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System, the NDCs 3.0 offer a unique opportunity to transform climate challenges into opportunities for sustainable development, but their success depends on the mobilization of everyone: government, communities, civil society, the private sector, and international partners.

The Minister of the Environment, Aboubacar Ben Mahmoud, recalled that the archipelago is a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement. These texts require a review of the NDCs every five years to strengthen climate ambition. “Although our country is not historically responsible for global warming, we are fully experiencing its effects: coastal erosion, loss of biodiversity, scarcity of water resources, degradation of agricultural land, and an intensification of extreme weather events,” he said.

The priorities of the revision concern agriculture, energy, health, water, fisheries and infrastructure, sectors particularly exposed to hazards. The update aims to strengthen national resilience and mobilize more international financing to support projects.