Breakthrough Agenda Report 2023

Cross cutting

Progress summary
Minimal progress
Modest progress
Good progress
New recommendation
Area What progress has been made? What more needs to be done? 2023

Co-ordination in each sector

The Breakthrough Agenda has started to facilitate improved collaboration between countries, companies and civil societies in several sectors.

Landscape maps have become a vital tool to communicate the range of activity in each sector.

Secure greater participation, both in terms of the membership and engagement.

A more consistent provision of resources to fund necessary collaborative work, support engagement of vital stakeholders.

Finance and investment

Establishment and further development of sectoral matchmaking platforms.

Coordinated calls to improve the global financial architecture.

A focus also on inter-sectoral coordination.

Greater country engagement required to accelerate the process of MDB reform in line with calls from developing countries.

Trade conditions

Early progress to build open and inclusive forums for strategic dialogues on trade-intensive products.

Growing interest from the WTO and members to engage in trade and sustainability discussions.

Countries need to accelerate their commitment to establishing high-level dialogues on major issues, such as carbon leakage and other risks for mitigation efforts, ensuring representatives from all major markets.

Research and innovation

Commitment of USD 94 billion for clean energy projects and 221 demonstration projects committed to under Mission Innovation.

Greater focus on developing country projects, making best use of private sector models, in close collaboration with IFIs.

Standards and definitions

ISO Net Zero Guidelines and UN High Level Expert Group provide useful guidance on compatibility with net zero.

Establishment of an international function to better verify claims, making use of detailed sectoral expertise.

Cross-cutting recommendations

  1. Countries should further strengthen forums and institutions that support international co-operation in each sector, with increased political and financial support, sufficient participation, and deeper analysis and communication of the potential gains from co-ordinated international action.
  2. Governments, financial institutions, philanthropic organisations and delivery partners should continue to improve the co-ordination of technical and financial assistance in each sector, learning from existing successful models. Further efforts are required to improve the conditions and delivery of financial assistance, in line with developing country requests.
  3. Governments, companies and relevant international organisations should establish high-level, strategic dialogues in each sector that is highly exposed internationally and where uneven competition risks being a barrier to the transition, to develop a common approach to reaching a level playing field. This should include, where relevant, actions on data, standards, procurement, technology collaboration and technical and financial assistance, as well as trade.
  4. Governments and companies should greatly increase spending on clean technology demonstration projects, working together to bring new technologies to commercial-scale deployment as soon as possible. Early deployment projects should be supported by matchmaking forums and ensuing commitments and processes in all regions.
  5. Wherever not already agreed, governments in each region of the world should agree to the top priority common infrastructure projects that can support near-term growth in the deployment of clean solutions, such as interconnectors and hydrogen pipelines. In each of the land, sea and air transport sectors, countries and companies should identify specific international routes to be prioritised for the co-ordinated first deployment of zero-emission charging or refuelling infrastructure.
  6. Building on existing international efforts, governments should consider the establishment of an international function to improve the collective verification of claims of different standards and their compatibility with international climate goals, across multiple sectors.