Guidance for national and local governments

Countries face severe local and global climate risks with grave social, economic, and environmental costs. Given a significant portion of global emissions are a result of agriculture, forestry, and other land-based investments, governments can mitigate climate risks by ensuring these investments contribute to, rather than undermine, national and global climate goals. This can be achieved through incorporating climate considerations into the full range of domestic legal requirements investors must meet to be allowed to operate their proposed project in a country, referred to as Investment Assessment Processes (IAPs).

This guidance provides recommendations for all stages of the IAP – spanning from investor registration with the relevant government agency to investor preparation of contracts and agreements for project approval – and to a lesser degree, prior and subsequent stages of the broader investment lifecycle. These recommendations will support governments in leveraging climate and investment data to advance national mitigation and adaptation plans while protecting overlapping environmental and human rights.

[Image credit: 2014 © Albert Gonzalez Farran, UNAMID]