Costa Rica Advances with a Renewed NDC: Presenting the New “CND 3.0”
From the Caribbean to the Pacific, from the Greater Metropolitan Area to rural communities: Costa Rica’s new Nationally Determined Contribution will serve as the voice of a country with clear ambitions for climate action.
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Costa Rica has once again taken a firm step forward in climate action, with the update of its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC; or CND, from its Spanish acronym) for 2025-2035.
Version 3.0 is much more than just a document. It is a roadmap toward a decarbonized, inclusive, and resilient Costa Rica, in line with commitments under the Paris Agreement.
ACCIÓN Clima, a project financed by the International Climate Initiative (IKI, from its German acronym), is among the actors directly involved in developing this updated climate instrument, adapted to national – and even global – contexts. Its role is to support the Government of Costa Rica in updating the NDC 3.0 through workshops and specific actions to reach the goal.
Participation from Coast to Coast
More than 360 people took part in workshops and consultations during the update process, completed in 2025. The sectors represented included youth, rural communities, Indigenous peoples, women, the private sector, municipalities, and public institutions.
Their participation was essential for setting concrete targets and ensuring that this tool responds to national priorities.
Participant of a construction workshop of Costa Rica´s new Nationally Determined Contribution. © ACCION Clima
Achievable, Measurable, and with Clear Responsibilities
Costa Rica’s new Nationally Determined Contributions seek to be a clear, concrete, and pragmatic strategy that sets achievable targets for climate action. This version places particular emphasis on establishing SMART indicators – validated and structured to facilitate monitoring and reporting.
The country has decided to position its climate targets through the initials in Spanish: CND for “Contribución Nacionalmente Determinada”, as part of the ownership and commitment process that make this exercise not only participatory but also invite different stakeholders to learn about the document and take ownership of the climate commitments.
The CND includes three strategic axes:
- C = Collective and coherent
- N = Nature
- D = Decarbonized
Also, this updated version incorporates the best available science to analyze meaningful opportunities for emission reduction.
The update will also focus on assigning specific responsibilities to the institutions in charge of each activity or target, ensuring their integration into public planning instruments. For this reason, it is being developed in alignment with the National Decarbonization Plan, strengthening coordination and effectiveness in climate action nationwide.
Participant of a construction workshop of Costa Rica´s new Nationally Determined Contribution. © ACCION Clima
A Nationwide Commitment
This update is the result of coordinated work by the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE), through its Climate Change Directorate (DCC); the German Development Cooperation - GIZ as implementing partner via the IKI project ACCION Clima; and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Costa Rica, along with other key partners.
International cooperation once again demonstrates that coordinated efforts can strengthen institutional capacity, provide practical methodologies, and support essential processes – such as the communication strategy – to ensure the CND is accessible and understandable to all.
Next Steps
The next milestone is to submit the drafted CND 2025-2035 for public review, once again opening the door for citizen participation as a central element of this version.
By the end of 2025, the CND will be ready for implementation.
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