The goal of the Paris Agreement is to keep the global temperature increase to well below 2°C and pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C. Parties to the Agreement have been invited to communicate their long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategies (LT-LEDS) considering the common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in light of different national circumstances. Similarly, Parties are invited to update their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) reflecting their increased ambition until 2030.

In 2021, countries are expected to increase ambition by updating their NDC targets, as they enter their first year of NDC implementation. Looking at this experience, it becomes clear that the conditionality of NDC targets is a crucial feature, in particular for international support through Article 6 carbon markets. However, how to apply conditionality is not clearly defined in the UNFCCC rulebook and a lack of conceptual clarity opens space for different applications in NDCs, with potential consequences for access to Article 6 cooperative approaches.