Berlin 15 June, 2025
Parliamentarians have been overlooked for too long and are vital to the NDC 3.0 design and implementation process. This was the key message from the one-day GLOBE Roundtable on Parliamentary Engagement in the NDCs, held in Berlin on 10 June 2025, in partnership with the German Government’s International Climate Initiative, NDC Partnership, E3G and WFD.
The importance of parliaments in the national climate commitments of Parties to the Paris Agreement was strongly underscored by Members of Parliament, experts, representatives of governments and international organisations.
The event which took place on the eve of the 2025 Global NDC Conference (11-13 June) and brought together Members of Parliament from across the world, experts, and representatives of government for a high-level conversation on the important role of Members of Parliament in the development and implementation of national climate commitments also known as Nationally Determined Contributions(NDCs).
The power-packed programme began with a “Scene-setting from the Caribbean” session by the President of the Senate of Grenada, and featured sessions on “NDCs & Parliamentary Engagement – Presentation of Case Studies”; “Challenges for Engagement with NDC and Global Stocktake Cycles”; Post-Legislative Scrutiny of Climate Legislation and Case Studies: Maldives, Zambia”; “Shaping Robust NDCs: Some reflections on what works”; “How to Promote Greater Parliamentary Engagement in NDC Formation, Scrutiny & Implementation”; “The Role of Climate Framework Legislation in Driving Ambition”; “Parliamentary Role in the Scrutiny of Climate Finance & Implementation”. There were also discussions on “The Role of National Climate Change Councils in Parliamentary Scrutiny” with the International Climate Change Councils Network joined by Alex Godoy-Faúndez of the Chilean Scientific Council on Climate Change, and Hon Barry Gardiner of the UK Parliament and Deputy Speaker Philippus Katamelo of the Namibian Parliament in this session.
Dr Philipp Behrens, Head of Division of Head of Division of International Climate Initiative, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, and Pablo Abba Vieira Samper, Global Director of the NDC Partnership Partnership Support Unit provided keynote addresses which affirmed the importance of engaging with Members of Parliaments in NDCs; the role of MPs as architects, guarantors, and implementers of climate actions; the need for highest possible ambition;etc.
Some time was then devoted to a brainstorming session on “Recommendations for Global NDC Conference on Enhanced Parliamentary Engagement for Enhanced and Robust NDCs,” with some of the recommendations being the need for MPs to use their positions to advance climate action through legislation, oversight, and appropriation; and a general call for Parties to ensure that parliaments are fully engaged in the NDCs process from the developmental to the implementation stages.
The Roundtable also presented a good opportunity for the launch of GLOBE’s Parliamentary Engagement in NDCs 3.0: Interim Results of a Global Study. .
Speakers at the Roundtable included: Malini Mehra, CEO of GLOBE Legislators, Hon. Dessima Williams, President of the Senate of Grenada; Hon. Nkemkanma Kama St Andy, Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Climate Change and Security, Nigeria; Hon Christine Kaaya, Parliament of Uganda; Hon. Saniwan Buaban, Parliament of Thailand; Dr Philipp Behrens, Head of Division of International Climate Initiative, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy; Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD)’s Rafael Jiménez-Aybar and Aryj Hussain; Hon Imanga Wamunyima Jr , Parliament of Zambia; Marc Weissgerber, Executive Director (Berlin Office), E3G; Pablo Abba Vieira Samper, Global Director of the NDC Partnership Partnership Support Unit; Adam Weiss of ClientEarth; Shirley Matheson of WWF; Hon Chean Chung Lee of the Parliament of Malaysia; Ben Rhodes of International Climate Councils Network; Alex Godoy-Faúndez of the Chilean Scientific Council on Climate Change; Hon Barry Gardiner of the UK Parliament; Hon Philippus Katamelo, Deputy Speaker, Parliament of Namibia; Senator Rosa Galvez of the Canadian Senate; Hon Amira Saber of the Parliament of Egypt; and Senator Mohamed Mwinyihaji Faki,CBS, MP, Chairperson, Senate Standing Committee on Land, Environment & Natural Resources, Senate of Kenya.
A breakfast meeting with Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter, Parliamentary State Secretary, German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) on 11 June, brought the parliamentary engagement to a close.
