Zambia

NDC Status

Zambia submitted its third NDC in October 2025.

Key highlights from the NDC

• Zambia's third NDC, submitted in October 2025, presents a shift toward an economy-wide approach across ten sectors, with a strong emphasis on renewable energy expansion, energy efficiency, and nature-based solutions.
• While headline mitigation targets remain broadly unchanged from the previous NDC, the country has strengthened its ambition through expanded sectoral coverage (including infrastructure, tourism, and water) and the introduction of more structured adaptation indicators. These include targets to scale up climate-smart agriculture, expand forest areas under management, and increase water catchment planning.
• The NDC includes a strong emphasis on gender equality, youth inclusion, and support to vulnerable groups, as well as recognition of just transition considerations, particularly in mining-dependent regions.
• As part of the Climate Promise 2025, UNDP facilitated technical coordination and supported engagement across a wide range of stakeholders for Zambia’s third NDC. The process was highly consultative, involving actors at national and provincial levels, including government line ministries and departments, civil society organizations, private sector representatives, youth, women, persons with disabilities, academia, and local communities.
• UNDP also supported coordination across the UN system and the broader development partner ecosystem to ensure coherent and aligned support to the Government. Contributing partners included the World Bank, UNICEF, FAO, WWF, and GIZ.

NAP Status

Zambia submitted a National Adaptation Plan to the UNFCCC in November 2023. Zambia received early-on support from UNDP and FAO’s NAP-Ag programme (2015-2020) on developing the agriculture component in its NAP.