The Swedish Energy Agency (SEA) has worked in the area of international climate finance and climate cooperation for many years and is now seeking to reposition itself in the emerging framework for international cooperation on climate change after the Paris Agreement.

The Paris Agreement obligates all countries to submit increasingly ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and to monitor and report on their performance under its new transparency framework. It also formalizes a framework for international cooperation on climate action based on providing finance for investment, capacity building and technology transfer, in addition to yet-to-be developed market mechanisms.

The success of the Paris Agreement to achieve greater global climate mitigation ambition will hinge largely on the ability of countries to translate their NDCs into concrete mitigation actions. These provisions of the Agreement are therefore central to its success and will require support from international cooperation between Parties to drive increased mitigation efforts. There is also a need for Parties to engage in the early stages of capacity building as well as in the financing and implementing of transformative policies and projects.

Climate Focus, supported by NIRAS, a leading Danish consultancy, has been providing independent expert advice to the Swedish government on international cooperation in climate change mitigation initiatives.