BONN, Germany (PAMACC News) - As the world move towards implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) in the fight against climate change, technocrats have urged countries to build long term capacities across the board, to enable smooth continuation of intended projects even after change of leaderships.

NDC are the national climate pledges submitted by 189 countries in the run-up to and since the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP21, in Paris, France. This is in pursuit to implementation of the Paris Agreement, which calls for the world to keep global temperature rise this century to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

“We need to go beyond the current approach of capacity building,” said Dr Zitouni Ould-Dada, the Head of Technology Unit at UNEP –Paris, at the ongoing climate talks in Bonn, Germany. “We usually build capacity within timeframes, and when guards change, everything changes,” he told delegates at the climate talks.

The UN technocrat further told parties that international actors and those who support the countries should not be allowed to take the lead, though, there should be an integrated approach between development partners and ministries, non-state actors and gender inclusiveness.

“Individual countries must always own the entire process,” he said.

According to Dr Webster Whande, the focal point for the Climate and Development Knowledge Network's (CDKN) negotiations support to the African Group of Negotiators, there should also be institutional capacity building, technical capacity building and also partnership capacity building – for resource mobilisation.

“At CDKN, we are building capabilities, where we consider the environment within, thus ensuring that there is no isolation,” he told delegates attending the climate Bonn climate talks.

Whande gave an example of Ethiopia, where during a capacity building project, the government requested for expertise consultancy. But after a few years, government officials were able to handle the project effectively without any need of consultancy. “This is an example of capability development,” he said.

The expert observed that there must be a two way learning channel, where developed countries should have the capacity to understand what works in less developed countries. “We also need these projects to be flexible to change, whenever change comes in,” said Whande.

The technocrats appreciated the idea of having climate change taught in institutions of higher learning, saying that that will enhance capabilities.

So far, all African countries have identified capacity building as one of their priority areas in their NDCs.