Countries can now express their interest in joining the sixth phase of the Technology Needs Assessments (TNA) project, offering a tailored pathway to identify priority climate technologies, strengthen implementation planning, and accelerate delivery of national climate commitments.
As countries prepare and implement increasingly ambitious NDCs, TNAs provide a structured, country-driven process to identify and prioritize technologies for both mitigation and adaptation, assess barriers to their deployment, and develop Technology Action Plans (TAPs) that support implementation and investment mobilization. Translating climate targets into concrete actions.
Since 2009, more than 100 TNAs and TAPs have been completed in 88 different countries under the Global TNA Project, making it one of the most widely applied international approaches for climate technology planning. Countries are increasingly using TNAs and TAPs to inform the development and implementation of NDCs and long-term climate strategies, helping connect national climate ambitions with practical, investment-ready solutions.
New tailored interventions
The sixth phase of the Global TNA project, implemented by UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre introduces a new flexible approach, allowing countries to select from three complementary packages that can be tailored to national circumstances and priorities.
- The National Technology Pathways Package supports countries in moving from technology prioritization to action planning and concept development.
- The Localized Transformation Package helps translate national priorities into local implementation and subnational action.
- The Technology Finance Acceleration Package focuses on developing detailed sector analyses and investment-ready pipelines that can attract public and private finance.
Countries may choose a single package or combine multiple packages to create a customized intervention that reflects their specific needs. The approach is designed to support both countries conducting a TNA for the first time and those seeking to build on previous assessments by updating priorities, strengthening implementation frameworks, or advancing finance readiness.
The enhanced package structure enables governments to undertake more detailed sector studies, strengthen innovation systems, improve private sector engagement, develop business models, and explore technology needs at subnational level. This helps ensure that technology prioritizations align with national climate plans while identifying opportunities for green growth, job creation, and broader socio-economic benefits. Overall, the enhanced approach has a focus on financing pathways and on closing the implementation gap.
Supporting the shift from planning to implementation
The growing emphasis on implementation is already evident in the current fifth phase of the project. Of the 17 participating countries, 12 are updating their TNA and TAPs, building on earlier assessments to strengthen implementation planning, update technology priorities, and mobilize investment.
To date, TNA-informed projects have helped leverage more than USD 2.9 billion for climate technology implementation globally.
In Fiji, TNA recommendations contributed to a project that strengthens the adaptive capacity of coastal communities through ecosystem-based approaches, including mangrove restoration and nature-based seawalls. Combining engineering solutions with natural coastal buffers, local materials, and community labour, the initiative is helping protect vulnerable coastlines while delivering benefits to more than 30,000 people.
In Madagascar, TNA priorities helped shape a hydropower programme that expands energy access in rural areas and supports productive uses of energy. The initiative has enabled agro-processing and local business development while reducing reliance on diesel and biomass fuels, avoiding an estimated 131,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
In Azerbaijan, a TNA-informed project is strengthening climate information services and multi-hazard early warning systems. The initiative introduces impact-based forecasting, climate shock-responsive social protection, and forecast-based financing, directly benefiting 5.7 million people and indirectly reaching an additional 3.6 million. Azerbaijan rejoined the TNA process in 2025 to update earlier assessments, identify emerging climate technologies, and support implementation of its NDC.
Opportunities for interested countries
The TNA project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and eligible countries can use their GEF STAR allocations to participate. Through the process, countries receive technical support to identify technology priorities, develop implementation pathways, and strengthen the foundations for climate technology deployment and investment.
As countries move from climate commitments to implementation, understanding which technologies are needed, where they are needed, and how they can be financed is becoming increasingly important. Technology Needs Assessments provide a proven mechanism for answering these questions and transforming national climate ambitions into practical action.
Countries interested in learning more about the sixth phase of the TNA project can meet the project team during the upcoming SB64 UN Climate Change Meetings in Bonn.
More information, including examples of country experiences and implementation outcomes, is available in the publication From needs to implementation: Stories from the Technology Needs Assessments 2025
