Conditional and Unconditional Contributions

Many NDCs contain two levels of ambition: an unconditional element that the country commits to implement with its own resources, and a conditional element that depends on international support such as finance, technology or capacity building, or on access to international carbon markets.

Why it matters in the room

Aggregate assessments often report both cases, and the difference between them is effectively a statement of the support a country says it needs. Reading which measures sit in which column says a great deal about the finance discussion.