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The Government of Vanuatu, through the Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC), has formally submitted its enhanced Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 3.0 to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which can be accessed on the UNFCCC NDC Registry on https://unfccc.int/NDCREG. This marks a significant milestone in the country’s climate ambition, strengthening Vanuatu’s climate commitments and reaffirming its position as a global leader on climate action. The Prime Minister (PM) of Vanuatu, Jotham Napat commented that “as the world gathers for the UN General Assembly, Vanuatu is proud to announce the completion and formal submission of our new Nationally Determined Contribution – our highest-level climate commitment under the Paris Agreement for the period 2025 to 2035. “We chose this week to launch because we want to send a clear signal: the world must raise its ambition if we are to keep global heating below 1.5 degrees. “For Vanuatu, that threshold is not an abstract target – it is the line of survival. It is about whether our island villages will thrive or be devastated by the worsening onslaught of the climate crisis.” Many have regarded Vanuatu’s past NDCs as being of the world’s most ambitious, while this new NDC goes further, grounded in more than 65 existing sector policies and contains 219 measurable targets for Mitigation (35), Adaptation (132) and Loss & Damage (52). While Vanuatu is already net negative with its forests and oceans absorbing more carbon than it emits, Vanuatu’s NDC commits to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 68.3% of current levels by 2035. Highlighting the major gaps in climate finance, the NDC outlines investments required over the next decade of approximately 3 billion US dollars to keep the country safe, resilient and able to respond to worsening and irreversible impacts. Vanuatu’s NDC concretely identifies the most appropriate sources and modalities of finance for each target, sourced primarily in grants from the multilateral development banks, bilateral support, the global climate funds and other innovative mechanisms like insurance, levies and court damage payments. Importantly the NDC establishes Vanuatu’s Climate Finance Country Platform to ensure climate finance flows enable bottom-up country-led planning and action. Of critical note, Vanuatu’s new NDC fully adheres to the outcomes of the Global Stocktake, and the legal obligations clarified by the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion on State responsibilities for climate change, and the full integration of gender equality, youth engagement, and human rights to ensure inclusive climate action. PM Napat, further called on “all countries to consider their legal obligations to prepare and submit NDCs that, together, keep us below 1.5 degrees... and if the upcoming NDC synthesis report shows we are failing, then we must have the courage to agree at COP30 to go back, revise, and enhance our commitments within the next year. “This is not an administrative exercise. It is a moral one, a technical one and mostly a political one. It is about life or death for Vanuatu, for small islands, and for millions of vulnerable people across the world.” The NDC 3.0 was validated and endorsed by the National Advisory Board on Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction and approved by the Council of Ministers. “This is a proud moment for Vanuatu. The NDC 3.0 reflects our values and resilience, and it makes a clear call for fairness in global climate action. “It is both a national blueprint and an invitation to partners to invest in solutions that work for our communities and a global call to action.”said David Gibson, Director General (DG) of the MoCC. He continued, “I extend sincere gratitude to ministries and institutions, leaders, civil society, youth and women’s groups, development partners, and the private sector for their active contributions to the development of Vanuatu’s updated climate change response measures.” The MoCC DG acknowledges the technical support from the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), and theRegional Pacific NDC Hub. Vanuatu’s NDC 3.0 is the result of an extensive, inclusive, and consultative process involving line ministries, civil society, the private sector, academia, indigenous peoples, youth organizations, and development partners, bringing all stakeholders together to align the country’s climate action priorities ahead of the upcoming COP30 in Brazil, from 10-21 November 2025. NDCs are national climate action plans under the Paris Agreement. Countries are required to set and periodically update targets, policies, and projects to address climate change. Established in 2017, the Regional Pacific NDC Hub supports Pacific Island Countries to enhance, implement, and finance these commitments.
