SDI

The "Sustainable Development Initiative on the Implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement under the UNFCCC process" (SDI) project aimed to promote sustainable development (SD) within the framework of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and to align climate action with the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The project team operationalised the SD requirements outlined in the "Glasgow Rulebook" for market mechanisms and cooperative approaches, addressing the then insufficient consideration of SDG impacts in carbon markets and climate projects, which had not yet been sufficiently established.

The project objective was to develop methodologies for assessing positive SDG impacts, to simplify their measurement and reporting, and to strengthen the integration of sustainability aspects into climate policy and market mechanisms, while also aiming to prevent negative impacts.

Approach and methodology of the project were structured around three pillars:

1. Policy dialogues to support the Article 6 negotiations and the development of an SD tool in collaboration with the UNFCCC Secretariat
2. Pilot projects in one or two countries to test and optimise the tool in practice
3. Knowledge dissemination through webinars, events, and an SD data platform

Milestones and results: The Article 6.4 Sustainable Development Tool was adopted at the 14th meeting of the Supervisory Body for the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism. The project team contributed to the tool's development through submissions and inputs and analysed initial pilot applications following its adoption. Furthermore, the project team organised numerous events focused on capacity building and stakeholder networking. All outputs are available free of charge via the link below.