From Needs to Implementation: Stories from the Technology Needs Assessments 

Enhancing technology development, transfer, deployment and dissemination is a key pillar of the international response to climate change. As a result, and to support the implementation of the UNFCCC Paris Agreement, Parties to the UNFCCC are engaged in the elaboration of the technology framework to further promote and facilitate enhanced action on technology development and transfer, where the work on Technology Needs Assessments will play a key role in the implementation of environmentally sound technologies for mitigation and adaptation. 

With funding from the Global Environment Facility, UN Environment, through UNEP DTU Partnership, supports developing countries to determine their technology priorities for the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation to climate change through the global Technology Needs Assessment project. The Technology Needs Assessments were directly referenced in the Paris agreement, requesting that the new technology framework should facilitate:

(a)  The undertaking and updating of technology needs assessments, as well as the enhanced implementation of their results, particularly technology action plans and project ideas, through the preparation of bankable projects

(b)  The    provision    of    enhanced    financial    and    technical    support for the implementation of the results of the technology needs assessments.

The Technology Needs Assessment process is organized around three main activities:

a)  To identify and prioritise mitigation and adaptation technologies for selected sectors;

b)  To identify, analyse and address barriers hindering the deployment and diffusion of the prioritised technologies, including the enabling framework for said technologies;

c)  To conduct, based on the inputs obtained from the previous two steps, a Technology Action Plan, which is a medium/long term plan for increasing the implementation of identified technologies. The Technology Action Plan outlines actions to be undertaken, which are further elaborated as project concept notes.