The EMPOWER project is a four-year initiative designed to strengthen climate mitigation modelling capacity in developing and emerging economies, directly supporting global climate ambition and the European Commission’s priorities. Operating as a sister project to RE-CONNECT, the project addresses critical gaps in national analytical capability required to deliver robust, policy-relevant emissions reduction pathways aligned with the Paris Agreement and the outcomes of the Global Stocktake (GST).
The core objective is to enhance national modelling frameworks and capabilities so that countries can develop credible, evidence-based climate strategies, including updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategies (LT-LEDS). The project will support up to ten priority countries, representing a significant share of global greenhouse gas emissions, to strengthen their modelling tools, generate high-quality mitigation scenarios, and assess socioeconomic impacts.
The countries that are likely to be supported by the project include Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Viet Nam
The support is expected to be structured in two phases. Phase 1 focuses on rapidly strengthening modelling capacity and generating scenario outputs to inform and contribute to the Second Global Stocktake. Phase 2 builds on this foundation to support countries in preparing updated NDCs for 2030, ensuring alignment with long-term climate neutrality goals.
The project is delivered through six integrated workstreams:
- Project coordination and governance, ensuring strong management, quality assurance, and alignment with policy timelines.
- Global collaboration and knowledge sharing, establishing a lasting international network of modellers and stakeholders.
- Enhancement of national modelling tools, improving sectoral coverage, technologies, and greenhouse gas representation.
- Scenario development to inform domestic strategies and global processes such as the GST.
- Analysis of macroeconomic, social, and co-benefits of mitigation pathways.
- Policy modelling to assess concrete measures such as carbon pricing and sectoral interventions.
Capacity building is central to delivery. The project includes workshops, training programmes, research exchanges, collaborative modelling exercises, and digital tools (including a shared scenario platform). These activities ensure not only short-term outputs but also long-term institutional capability within supported countries.
Key outputs will include improved national models, policy-relevant mitigation scenarios, technical reports, datasets, and contributions to international processes such as the 2028 Global Stocktake. Importantly, the project will aim to embed modelling insights into domestic policymaking, supporting investment decisions, just transition planning, and alignment with Sustainable Development Goals.
By combining European modelling expertise with in-country knowledge and partnerships, EMPOWER aims to deliver measurable improvements in national climate planning capability while strengthening global collaboration. The project ultimately enables developing countries to play a more active, informed, and impactful role in achieving global emissions reductions and advancing the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Watch this space for future updates as the project progresses!
