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Abstract: The clean development mechanism (CDM) has the objective to support developing countries in achieving a sustainable development path, while at the same time assisting industrialized countries in achieving their Kyoto Protocol commitments. Actual practice shows that CDM technology transfers are largely focused on reducing GHG emissions at lowest cost and less on the domestic development needs and priorities of the host countries. This paper discusses an approach to facilitate low-carbon energy technology transfer compatible with the energy development needs and priorities of developing countries. The results reported here are concerned with the relation between the transfer of low-carbon energy technologies and the perceived needs and priorities for low-carbon technologies in the country context. The study has provided insights on improving the CDM for technology transfer in accordance with host countries’ development priorities and has been applied to Chile, China, Israel, Kenya and Thailand. It forms the first stage of an overall approach for facilitating low-carbon technology transfer under the UNFCCC. The second stage of the study is reported elsewhere [ENTTRANS, 2008. Promoting sustainable energy technology transfers through the CDM: Converting from a theoretical concept to practical action. Final report of specific support action under EU FP-6, January 2006–December 2007. Contract 022673, co-ordination: Foundation JIN, Groningen, The Netherlands, www.enttrans.org]. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Under the Paris Agreement, countries are to develop nationally determined contributions (NDCs) every 5 years, outlining their climate targets and plans. In order to ease this task, countries may use the experiences with the Technology Needs Assessment (TNA) program. In this paper, lessons with TNAs since 2001 are described, and it is analyzed how countries, with a focus on developing countries, may use these lessons in strengthening and implementing their successive NDCs. While some developing countries have already used the results of their TNA process in their NDC development, countries could benefit from following the TNA process, its stakeholder involvement, and the multi‐criteria decision analysis (MCDA) methodology, to strengthen their NDCs. Countries face challenges in their NDC with regard to the embedding of the contribution into the national development strategy, getting from plans to implementation, and the mobilization of finance. Through the positive and negative experiences with TNAs, countries can overcome these challenges. It is argued that all countries can use the TNA or parts thereof in their NDC process. For developing countries (mainly Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States) the TNA is useful for capacity building, strategy development, and the preparation of projects for investment with international support. Emerging markets and newly‐industrialized countries can use the TNA as a participatory approach for strategy development. Developed countries generally do not need the entire TNA process, but the participatory approaches and MCDA can be used to fine‐tune modeled strategies. This article is categorized under: Energy and Climate > Economics and PolicyEnergy and Climate > Climate and EnvironmentEnergy and Development > Climate and Environment Use of the TNA process by countries in their NDC development, based on the countries' position on the "learning curve" of capacity development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]