Statement by Marcos Neto, UN Assistant Secretary-General, and Director of UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, at the COP30 event, 'Unlocking NDCs for Growth and Development: From Data to Design and Delivery'.
Aligning NDCs with national development priorities delivers far-reaching benefits beyond GDP growth
November 14, 2025
As delivered
Climate action is often viewed in environmental terms – emissions reductions or hectares protected – but now we must also make a clear and compelling economic case.
We have heard today from representatives from Switzerland, Australia, South Africa, and Chile how they make use of new and emerging information sources such as the Inclusive Forum on Carbon Mitigation Approaches (IFCMA) to make informed decisions.
The Government of Germany has funded a collaboration among OECD, UNDP and Germany over the past two years to assess how to assess how climate action is not only an environmental necessity, but economically viable.
This collaboration culminated in a joint OECD-UNDP report “Investing in Climate for Growth and Development”, which was launched in June 2025.
The findings show that climate ambition can strengthen economic growth in the next 15 years and in the long run. However, for this to happen, NDCs need to be underpinned by well-designed policies and robust investment plans. Unclear policies would risk delaying private investments and reducing global GDP by 0.75% as early as 2030.
Ambitious climate action can drive economic and development goals: New OECD-UNDP analysis provides evidence that higher climate ambition is not only achievable, it also makes economic sense, even in the near term.
Governments are at an inflection point in addressing climate change: Despite progress, there are large gaps in both the ambition and implementation of current climate commitments.
Strengthened climate action is expected to have a positive effect on GDP (plus 0.2%) in 2040.
All regions would see robust economic growth under an Enhanced NDCs scenario, though at different paces, with low- and middle-income countries benefitting the most.
Factoring in avoided climate damages further strengthens the economic case for climate ambition in the long run.
Aligning NDCs with national development priorities delivers far-reaching benefits beyond GDP growth
What can governments do for enhanced NDCs?
- Mobilize finance for resilience and low-carbon growth. Integrate the real costs of climate impacts into national planning to strengthen the business case for investment in sustainable, inclusive growth.
- Advance public finance reforms that expand fiscal space for climate action. Build on climate-focused INFFs to align public budgets with national climate and development priorities.
- Leverage public finance to attract private capital. Use tools such as blended finance and de-risking instruments to crowd in private investment for green infrastructure, enterprises, and startups.
- Create enabling environments for sustainable investment. Strengthen institutions, improve policy coherence, and integrate sustainability standards to reduce risk and increase investor confidence.
- Build partnerships that connect capital to country priorities. Unite governments, development banks, and investors to align financial flows with the SDGs, ensuring that every dollar contributes to climate resilience and sustainable growth.
During the COP30 High Level Summit, the UN Secretary-General called upon UNDP to leverage the Climate Promise to coordinate the UN system to support NDC implementation. The Climate Promise has already supported over 90% of developing countries to develop their NDCs. Now we move to NDC implementation with a new phase: Climate Promise: Forward.
NDCs offer a unique signal for investment country-driven climate action, and turning ambition into bankable opportunities requires stronger policy, financing systems, integrated solutions, and whole-of-society approaches that can deliver results at scale.
UNDP is leveraging its vast portfolio to help countries deliver on NDCs, including through Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs) and a suite of sustainable finance tools. For example:
- Climate budget tagging and Tax Inspectors without Borders (which aims to minimize illicit financial flows) to drive public revenue.
- Blended finance solutions and innovative instruments such as green and blue bonds, carbon pricing, and de-risking mechanisms to mobilize private capital.
- The Platform for Investment Support and Technical Assistance (PISTA) is turning national climate priorities into investment-ready projects.
The OECD-UNDP report carries a critical message: climate action is smart development. We look forward to working with countries and partners to make the most out of domestic and international resources to achieve NDCs and accelerate the economies and societies of the future.
Thank you.