Honduras presented its second national climate pledge to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), marking its renewed commitment to the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement where world leaders universally agreed to advance climate actions to limit temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius, while pursuing efforts to limit to a safer 1.5 degrees.  

Under that agreement, countries agreed to develop climate pledges - also known as ‘Nationally Determined Contributions’ or ’NDCs’ - that taken together will help tackle global warming. The agreement also calls on countries to revise and strengthen their NDCs every five years. However, it is increasingly apparent that urgent steps must be taken to reverse current unsustainable trends, leading to high expectations for governments to commit to ambitious pledges that leave no-one behind.

Although Honduras contributes less than 0.05 percent to global emissions, it is a country highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Hence, as its authorities have mentioned, it is essential to develop resilient communities, promoting collaborative actions of adaptation and mitigation.

The NDC document presented renews the country's commitments made in 2015 as part of the Paris Agreement. In its first update, the NDC of Honduras reinforces strategic guidelines, as improves, and increases its ambition in favor of climate action.

“This is a historic event for Honduras. With its revised climate pledge, Honduras will contribute to global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, through sectoral commitments in the energy, forestry, agriculture, waste and industrial processing sectors. This is a joint effort with civil society, private companies, the indigenous and Afro-Honduran population, as well as international cooperation,” remarked the Vice Minister of the Environment, Mr. Carlos Pineda-Fasquelle. Whom also acknowledged, on behalf of the Minister of The Environment, Mr. Elvis Rodas and his team, the contribution of UNDP through its Climate Promise initiative.

The document recognizes that collective actions are required, with responsibilities shared but differentiated between sectors, and emphasizes the inclusion and participation, considering their perspectives, needs and contributions, of youth, women, indigenous and Afro-Honduran peoples, and vulnerable groups. Likewise, the document incorporates a human rights-based approach, innovation, and the use of technology as central aspects to find environmental, ecological, and climatic solutions that are of benefit to all.

In this NDC, Honduras ratifies its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, having increased the commitment from 15 to 16 percent; as well as a 30 percent increase in forest areas to be restored, making a total of 1.3 million hectares reforested by 2030. At the same time, Honduras maintains its commitment to reduce firewood consumption by 39 percent. The attention to forests restoration and conservation is significant considering that forests represent more than 55 percent of the country’s territory.

Additionally, this updated NDC details the demands and financing needs to achieve these goals, indicating that its commitments are conditioned to the financing of international cooperation.

UNDP Resident Representative in Honduras, Richard Barathe, commented: “The updated NDC demonstrates the country’s commitment to a climate-resilient present and future with low carbon emissions. In terms of adaptation, it is very significant that the country has increased its contributions and goals. It’s also a very positive step that the actions broadly consider the needs of most vulnerable populations living in rural and urban settings, thereby incorporating a sustainable development vision.”

UNDP, as part of its “Climate Promise” action, is supporting more than 100 countries in the world to achieve their commitments made in the Paris Agreement. In the Latin America and Caribbean region, UNDP is supporting 25 countries, which includes 11 improved NDCs already submitted: Costa Rica, Cuba, Brazil, Grenada, Cuba, Jamaica, Chile, Suriname, Ecuador, Peru and now, Honduras.

In Honduras, UNDP has supported the Government in generating a base document to contribute to the formulation of the NDC, compiling the contributions of several actors, assisting in incorporation a gender, indigenous populations, and youth approaches across all actions. Additionally, it is assisting in the construction of the roadmap for actions of the second NDC, to be presented in 2025.

The officialization of the NDC took place in a formal event between the Foreign Minister of Honduras, Lisandro Rosales, representing the Government, and the Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, Patricia Espinosa.

For more information on the Climate Promise, please visit this website.

The updated NDC document for Honduras can be downloaded here.

Media Contact:

For more information, or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Cristina Sevillano-del Aguila. Cristina.Sevillano@undp.org