The NDC Partnership is a network of over 120 countries, facilitated by UNFCCC, that is dedicated to helping each other strengthen their Paris Agreement Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Pledges. The Partnership has just released Version 3.0 of the NDC Navigator, an interactive tool that supports the development of updated country NDCs to be submitted in 2025. Below are Climate Scorecard Country Managers’ advice to their countries of what needs to be done to strengthen their NDCs based on the framework of the NDC Partnership Navigator.
Designated National Authority,
Ministry of Energy,
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Dear Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud,
We are the Climate Scorecard Project Country Managers for Saudi Arabia. Climate Scorecard is a non-profit organization working to strengthen climate mitigation and adaptation efforts in leading greenhouse gas-emitting countries.
We are contacting you to share suggestions from the NDC Partnership regarding strengthening your Paris Agreement Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). The NDC Partnership brings together more than 200 members, including more than 120 developed and developing countries and more than 80 institutions, to create and deliver on ambitious climate action that will help achieve the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNFCCC facilitates it. The Partnership recently issued Navigator Guidelines to countries for strengthening their NDCs that can be accessed by clicking https://ndcnavigator.org/routes/
Saudi Arabia’s latest Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) does not explicitly emphasize a Just Transition, which focuses on balancing economic, environmental, and social considerations while moving toward a low-carbon economy. However, Saudi Arabia has shown interest in addressing some elements of a Just Transition, particularly in its Vision 2030 framework, which aims to diversify the economy and create jobs in sectors like renewable energy. As the country prepares NDC 3.0, there may be potential for integrating more explicit Just Transition measures to demonstrate its progression, especially in light of growing global awareness of the need for inclusive climate actions.
There is no dedicated national Just Transition strategy, but efforts to ensure economic diversification and mitigate social impacts are key components of the broader national policy landscape. Integrating such considerations into the upcoming NDC 3.0 could help align national goals with international climate commitments, showing responsiveness to domestic priorities and global expectations.
Saudi Arabia is interested in establishing a more formal national framework for the Just Transition processes. This could help identify specific areas for action, such as reskilling workers from traditional energy sectors or developing sustainable industries. As the country balances its reliance on fossil fuels with its renewable energy ambitions, a structured Just Transition framework would complement the NDC’s objectives and ensure that social and economic factors are considered alongside environmental goals.
The 2021 updated NDC doesn’t address the social and economic welfare losses resulting from climate change response measures and energy transition. It does not include concrete plans and policies to identify the concerns and needs of marginalized populations adversely impacted by climate change and incorporate feedback from these groups. The NDC needs to include plans to gather data and information estimating the impacts, whether positive or negative, on affected peoples and communities like the Bedouin and the fishermen of the Eastern Province by carrying out environmental group-specific and gender-disaggregated impact assessments in these areas.
The NDC lacks any reference to differences in climate impacts on the women, youth, small-scale farmers, and fishermen disproportionately affected by climate change and the adaptation measures the Kingdom has been implementing. To strengthen its NDC, Saudi Arabia can tap into the under-utilized talents of women, who account for 49.6% of the total Saudi population, and young Saudis of the age group (15-34 years), who represent 36.7% to ensure equitable and smooth energy transition and strengthen climate resilience. Currently, Saudi Arabia has very low rates of women’s participation in environment-related technology collaboration and cross-border research collaboration on green technology. The NDC can enact programs and policies that create enabling environments for women and youth empowerment on climate education and access to information that is key to strengthening meaningful engagement of women and youth in high-level climate decision-making processes. The NDC can also introduce participatory initiatives by holding climate town hall-style events to hear from youth and women leaders and appointing women climate activists and trailblazers on its NDC panel of experts in developing future NDCs. The NDC can also include plans to establish a Youth or Women Climate advisory council to provide meaningful input to future NDCs.
The NDC also lacks mechanisms to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the progress made in replacing the country’s broad-based social contract with climate change-oriented social protections, enabling it to respond effectively to climate‐induced shocks and protect vulnerable populations.
By implementing these actions, Saudi Arabia could significantly enhance its NDCs, ensuring they contribute to global climate goals while promoting sustainable development and domestic social equity. Climate Scorecard strongly recommends incorporating these recommendations into the upcoming NDC revision.
Please let me know if you agree with these suggestions and need any support in implementing them.
We look forward to hearing back from you.
Thank you for your continued commitment to advancing Saudi Arabia’s climate leadership.
Best regards,
Abeer Abdulkareem & Amgad Ellaboudy
Climate Scorecard Country Managers