Enhancing Capacity for Low Emission Development Strategies

Flagship development and climate change program aims for high impact, low emissions

Enhancing Capacity for Low Emission Development Strategies (EC-LEDS) is a U.S. Government program to support developing countries’ efforts to pursue long-term, transformative development and accelerate sustainable, climate-resilient economic growth while slowing the growth of greenhouse gas emissions. The program is an integral part of U.S. government efforts to provide fast start climate financing and will build capacities in partner countries, provide targeted technical assistance, and build a shared global knowledge base on low emission development. EC-LEDS supports and enhances country-led development programs, plans, and policies, and complements efforts of other international donors and organizations to support low emission development strategies (LEDS).

Low Emission Development Strategies

A LEDS articulates concrete actions, policies, programs and implementation plans to advance economic growth, improve environmental management, and meet development objectives.

A robust LEDS could include the following elements:

  • A country’s integrated development goals and objectives, national greenhouse gas inventory, and economic and resource data
  • Long-term projections of business-as-usual economic growth and greenhouse gas emission pathways
  • Alternative development scenarios that achieve economic and development goals while slowing the growth rate of greenhouse gas emissions and supporting climate change resilience
  • Prioritized policies, programs and measures—identified through broad stakeholder engagement—that support the low emission development scenarios
  • Implementation plans and strategies for attracting private sector investment

Supporting Country-Driven LEDS

The U.S. Government pursues a two-pronged strategy for promoting tailored, country-driven LEDS.

1. Providing targeted technical assistance for LEDS development and implementation

The U.S. will work with partner countries and key stakeholders to respond to their unique needs and priorities through targeted technical assistance and support to:
  • Enhance and strengthen existing low emission strategies, plans, and processes to ensure they are robust, transparent and actionable
  • Strengthen in-country human and institutional capacity for LEDS development, revision, and implementation
  • Identify key policies, programs, and financing sources to advance low carbon growth
Current EC-LEDS partners include Bangladesh, Colombia, Costa Rica, Gabon, Kenya, Mexico, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

2. Building a shared knowledge base on LEDS

The United States is working with a wide range of partners to promote low emissions development around the world through several avenues, including the LEDS Global Partnership. Launched in early 2011, the LEDS Global Partnership currently brings together more than 27 government and international institutions. The LEDS Global Partnership was jointly founded by the U.S. and a number of other governments, multilateral institutions, and non-governmental organizations to advance low emission development through coordination, information exchange, and cooperation among programs and countries. The United States has also supported the development of a LEDS Web portal at http://openEI.org/LEDS. The site provides access to more than 1,500 tools, programs, and resources related to low emission development.

Contact Information

USAID Macedonia: Margareta Lipkovska Atanasov, AOR, mlipkovska@usaid.gov  

USAID Global Climate Change Team: Collin Green, cgreen@usaid.gov

U.S. Department of State, Office of Global Change: Alexia Kelly, kellyac@state.gov