| Overview : In 2015, up to 197 countries signed a new international climate accord, the Paris Agreement which aims to strengthen global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The Paris Agreement requires all Parties to put forward their best efforts through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and to strengthen these efforts in the years ahead. Many African countries are making considerable progress in preparing for NDC implementation through developing NDC implementation plans, prioritizing specific sectoral climate actions, designing institutional arrangements and developing coordination mechanisms to support NDC implementation and engaging the private sector to support. On a global scale, the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted by the 197 parties represent at least a US$13.5 trillion market for the energy sector alone and specifically energy efficiency and low carbon technologies through 2030[1]. The global low carbon technology market is growing significantly faster and the national climate plans of developing countries will open new market opportunities. These include expanded markets in building efficiency and demand side energy management for example through low carbon technologies in the transport sector such as electric cars; solar, wind, hydro and geothermal energy; and water and waste management. Businesses that act boldly and swiftly will reap the rewards of these market opportunities. Uganda’s NDC seeks to help the country reduce vulnerability to climate change in priority sectors as well as contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions in forestry and wetlands, energy, transport and agriculture sectors. Under the Paris Agreement, Uganda committed 22% GHG emissions reduction by 2030 compared to the BAU, contingent upon receipt of ongoing and planned international support to complement domestic efforts set out in the 2015 National Climate Change Policy. With the limited public finances available for climate change mitigation, the private sector has been credited for their involvement in climate action. Private actors have not only provided the much-needed finances for various climate change mitigation projects but have also facilitated technology development and transfer as well enabled infrastructure development that have all contributed positively to mitigating climate change. The private sector’s contribution to towards the achievement of Uganda’s climate change commitments under the Paris Agreement cannot be under estimated. In addition, through the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), private sector players in Uganda have mobilized resources by trading their Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) which has led to the implementation of projects in renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors. The private sector is well positioned to mobilize financial resources and technical capabilities, leverage the efforts of governments, engage civil society and community efforts, develop and adopt low carbon operations, technologies, services,expand and access new markets, benefit from cost savings, protect supply chains and build reputational benefits. The private sector can harness opportunities by building partnerships with other businesses, associations, NGOs, government agencies and development partners to take advantage of the resources, networks and expertise provided to implement mitigation projects. This assignment also builds on the already ongoing initiatives by UNDP in 2017 to support the adoption of Equality Seal for Public and Private sector enterprises. The gender equality seal aims to strengthen performance across the public and the private sector in ways that deliver equal benefits for women and men hence enabling the achievement of the SDG targets. The government of Uganda through the Ministry of Water and Environment’s Climate Change Department (CCD) is implementing the Nationally Determined contribution (NDC) Support programme with technical support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The programme is supported by the governments of Germany and Spain, and the European Union as a contribution to the NDC Partnership. The project aims to strengthen and harmonize policies, institutional frameworks and establish a national Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system to mainstream national mitigation policies and targets in the context of NDC implementation; enhance the institutional, technical and financial feasibility of Uganda’s Green Growth Development Strategy (UGGDS) and Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions and align them with NDCs; and apply innovative financial de-risking activities to attract private sector investment in mitigation actions. The programme also emphasizes gender mainstreaming in all planned activities. Objective of the Assignment: Under output 4 of the NDC Support programme, the project is supporting the private sector to engage in climate action. In the past, Uganda’s private sector has not been sufficiently engaged in taking climate change mitigation actions, either as financiers or reducers of the emissions. With the effort being made to achieve SDGs and the second National Development Plan (NDPII), the private sector is encouraged to undertake financing of climate change mitigation measures, make investment in new technological innovations that strengthen low carbon growth, adopt lower carbon production processes, and encourage and facilitate more climate conscious purchasing decisions by consumers. This assignment aims to develop options and approaches that will enable the private sector in Uganda to engage and invest in climate actions that would contribute towards the achievement of Uganda’s NDC mitigation targets and provide recommendations to policy makers to create an enabling environment for investment in climate action. | 
