Questions/Answers

At the national level, an Evaluation Coordination made up of six social councilors appointed every four years, carries out the evaluation of the National Climate Change Policy. This with the support of a technical secretariat that belongs to the INECC. These evaluation exercises generate information to modify, incorporate or totally or partially reorient the National Policy on Climate Change. The results are published in the Official Gazette of the Federation and delivered to the actors indicated in the report. Subsequently, in coordination with the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, a quarterly monitoring mechanism is implemented on the progress made in complying with the recommendations. Since 2016, three evaluations have been developed and in addition to allowing the identification and registration of areas of opportunity both in planning and in the implementation of climate policy, they have also generated information that has led to approximately 20 audits by the Superior Audit of the Federation. Unlike other evaluation practices that are carried out by other agencies and entities of the Federal Public Administration, in this case the evaluation can also link sub-national actors and issue recommendations to become members of the National Climate Change System. In addition to the fact that there were not many similar experiences at the national level, the main challenge has been the development of adequate methodologies for the evaluation of the policy, since more than 90% of the experiences of the evaluations carried out in Mexico have been budget programs using the logical framework methodology. Finally, it should be noted that in this case, the involvement of the actors being evaluated, throughout the entire process, has been decisive.

The evaluation of the climate policy adds to the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda, specifically (although not only) with the Sustainable Development Goal 13 Climate Action, specifically in the goal 13.2 Integrating climate change measures in policies and planning. Although the General Law of Climate Change in Mexico indicates that climate policy is transversal, and must be present in the planning instruments of both the Federal Public Administration and subnational governments, through the evaluation it has been possible to identify areas of opportunity in the planning and programming of climate policy in government agencies and entities. Provide relevant and useful information to improve design and implementation. And with this, effective attention to the challenges of mitigation and adaptation to climate change associated with SDG 13. On the other hand, the assessment exercises shed a lot of light on what to do about it. There are many actors who have an important role in the implementation of the policy and who today do not know how to approach it. And this work is helping fill those gaps.

As previously explained, the initiative is mainly related to goal 13.2 Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning.

It promotes the permanent improvement of the national climate change policy and its adequate mainstreaming.

The exercise considers the three levels of government, recognizing the importance of the role of local governments for the successful implementation of climate policy.

The effective implementation of climate policy benefits the population most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Population that to a great extent also presents the highest levels of poverty and marginalization at the national level.

A joint effort was developed with key stakeholders to identify the questions that guided the evaluation. Workshops were held with the agencies and entities evaluated, and a consulting team coordinated the participatory exercise and the development of a methodology based on the Theory of Change carried out for the case of Mexico.

Enter into the evaluation of transversal policies, achieve the interest and commitment of the evaluated actors, as well as coordinate evaluation exercises with sub-national governments that have their own competencies and monitoring and evaluation systems for other evaluation issues.

These are evaluation exercises that are carried out with the support of Social Counselors. Furthermore, its results are binding and its observance is mandatory in accordance with the General Law on Climate Change.

The exercises carried out have aroused the interest of state authorities in evaluating and improving climate policy and have positioned the issue in public opinion.

State governments have expressed interest in replicating this exercise and have developed regulatory instruments to do so, but none have yet been carried out.

In addition to the six social counselors, the INECC General Coordination team (made up of six to eight people) in its capacity as technical secretariat carried out an important part of the work with the support of a consulting team that intervened. In addition to the agencies and entities evaluated that provided an important part of the information analyzed.

When a legal mandate is fulfilled, fiscal resources are assigned to carry out the evaluations, but due to the limited availability of resources, the Technical Secretariat that is part of the INECC assumes the greatest amount of work possible to reduce costs.

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The results of the evaluation are directed to the members of the National System of Climate Change who have the obligation to attend the recommendations and consider them for planning. This System is made up of 14 strategic federal agencies for this issue, 32 state governments, municipal associations and members of Congress. In addition, social and academic actors participate who ensure its proper functioning. In this scenario, the evaluation generates evidence for decision making.

Compliance with SDG 13 is at the heart of the climate policy assessment objective.

Participatory processes generate significant learning benefits that are beyond the scope of the recommendations.