The High?Level Expert Group on the Net Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities (¡°HLEG¡±) was established by the Â鶹APP Secretary-General, Ant¨®nio Guterres, on 31 March 2022, to develop stronger and clearer standards for net-zero emissions pledges by non-State entities ¨C including businesses, investors, cities, and regions ¨C and speed up their implementation.
The HLEG report ¡°Integrity Matters: Net Zero commitments by Businesses, Financial Institutions, Cities and Regions¡±, launched at COP27 in Sharm-el Sheikh, Egypt, provides 10 practical recommendations for credible, accountable net-zero pledges and details what non-State actors need to consider through each stage of their progress towards achieving net-zero ambitions.
Recommendations
- Announcing a Net Zero Pledge. Non-State actors should publish a pledge including targets for 2025, 2030 and 2035 and plans to reach net zero by 2050.
- Setting Net Zero Targets. Non-State actors should set short-, medium- and long-term absolute reduction targets, and relative emission reduction targets in their value chain, where appropriate.
- Using Voluntary Credits. High-integrity carbon credits in voluntary markets should be used for mitigation beyond the value chain, but cannot be counted towards non-State actors¡¯ interim emissions reductions.
- Creating a Transition Plan. Non-State actors must publicly disclose transition plans indicating the actions taken to achieve all objectives. They should update them every five years and report on progress annually.
- Phasing Out of Fossil Fuels and Scaling Up Renewable Energy. Net-zero pledges should include specific targets for ending the use and/or support of fossil fuels, accompanied by a fully funded transition to renewable energies.
- Aligning Lobbying and Advocacy. Non-State actors need to align their external policy and engagement efforts with emission reduction targets.
- People and Nature in the Just Transition. Non-State actors with high land-use emissions should avoid converting remaining natural ecosystems. Financial institutions should avoid financing companies linked to deforestation.
- Increasing Transparency and Accountability. Non-State actors must annually disclose their greenhouse gas data, net-zero targets, plans and progress, and have their reported emissions cuts verified by independent third parties.
- Investing in Just Transitions. There needs to be a new deal for development including financial institutions and multinational corporations, governments, Multilateral Development Banks and Development Finance Institutions.
- Accelerating the Road to Regulation. Regulators should develop regulations and standards, starting with high-impact corporate emitters. A new Task Force on net zero Regulation should be formed to avoid fragmentation.
Updates
UN Chief urges to get on track to net zero at Davos 2025
¡°Now is the time to shift our collective efforts into overdrive, and make 2025 the biggest year yet for climate action,¡± he said, calling for the implementation of the recommendations of the High-Level Expert Group on Net Zero.
COP29: UN Secretary-General calls for robust transition plans
The UN Chief urged all non-State actors to create robust, accountable transition plans by COP30, aligned with the recommendations of the High-Level Expert Group on Net Zero. ¡°Now is the time to fast-track, not backtrack,¡± he said.
The High-Level Event on the Stocktake of Integrity Matters took place on 14 November 2024, at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Read the progress review by the High-Level Expert Group .