Senegal's pathway to enhance climate reporting

Last month in Saly, Thiès region, Senegal, officials from the Ministry of Environment joined the FAO-UNDP SCALA programme for training on new tools to help improve the climate reporting process of their nationally determined contributions (NDCs).

Senegal joined 139 countries worldwide with an updated NDC outlining their actions to help mitigate climate change. As these countries start implementing these key climate plans, they need to be armed with the right methods and tools to track and report back to the international community. 

Through multinational engagements, countries acknowledge the need for support in NDC tracking to better grasp and meet reporting requirements. They face challenges like understanding UNFCCC reporting, diverse data demands, post-NDC data gathering, adaptation reporting, and technical capacity for Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) compliance. Nonetheless, enhancing ETF knowledge at the country level is vital.

The process is not as simple as offering tools that help meet their reporting requirements, but it requires building the capacity of those who will use these tools in their sector.

As capacity-building efforts in Senegal have been progressing with step-by-step guidance, this training was a culmination of Senegal’s efforts over the past two years to have a framework set up for monitoring and evaluating their NDC implementation. 

The training was a crucial step to further empower agriculture, forestry, and other land use (AFOLU) sector professionals with expertise in land classification, GHG emissions sources and removals from policies and measures in AFOLU sector,  data needs to track the implementation of the NDC using the FAO NDC toolbox, which includes the NDC Tracking Tool and the Nationally Determined Contribution Expert Tool. 

Furthermore, capacity-building efforts have included practical exercises to familiarize users with the tracking tools using national data and collect feedback on their effectiveness in supporting NDC analysis and reporting. 

Senegal is working to reduce GHG emissions by 2030 through economy-wide mitigation efforts covering energy, industry, waste, and AFOLU sectors. The NDC includes specific goals to enhance natural regeneration practices, using compost on market garden crops, and promoting an intensive rice growing system. 

In the forestry sector, Senegal is working to reduce emissions from charcoal and energy wood production, improve forest management, increase reforestation (including mangroves), and reduce bushfires. With multiple sectors engaged, Senegal has focused on setting up sectoral frameworks that build the capacity of technical agents to monitor and evaluate NDC implementation. 

This involves participating in training courses to align the national NDC monitoring framework, assess policies and projects supporting NDC actions, and enhance expertise in evaluating and reporting climate actions under the ETF.

Additionally, Senegal is working on developing a manual that outlines procedures for measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) tailored to the AFOLU sector's NDC.

This will be followed by data collection facilitated by various stakeholders, including the Ministry of Agriculture, the Senegalese Institute of Agricultural Research and the National Center for Forest Research, as well as the Directorate of Water and Forests, Hunting, and Soil Conservation under the coordination of the Ministry of Environment in collaboration with SCALA. 

These efforts aim to create a complete NDC database for assessing the NDC implementation progress, as well as reporting in the Biennial Transparency Report (BTR). Currently, the country is preparing its Biennial Update Report, which will contribute to the BTR on greenhouse gas emissions and removals, due to the UNFCCC by December 2024. 

The progress set Senegal on the right path to enhance climate reporting under the new transparency requirements. This collaboration serves a dual purpose: firstly, to assess the status and progress of AFOLU mitigation and adaptation actions as outlined in the NDC, and secondly, to prepare the groundwork for NDC reporting. 

In Senegal, the journey toward achieving climate goals emphasizes transparency and effective tracking. By identifying tailored capacity-building needs and involving diverse stakeholders in data collection, progress toward climate commitments gains momentum. 

Regional dialogues stress the significance of supporting countries in their pursuit of transparency, providing valuable insights for the path ahead. This shared journey, marked by the exchange of experiences and lessons learned, serves as a testament to the global commitment to combat climate change.

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Senegal is committed to improving its climate strategies and sustainable food systems. The SCALA programme in Senegal assists by building institutional capacities for NDC climate action planning, monitoring, and reporting. It also evaluates agroecological approaches for resilience and lower emissions, identifies policies for promoting organic farming and climate-resilient seeds, and supports transformative actions like agroecology and agroforestry through a multi-stakeholder approach. Additionally, SCALA actively promotes private sector engagement in Senegal's groundnuts, millet, and market gardening, developing engagement plans for various private sector actors.