Tunis - Tunisia has finalised its new climate strategic framework (NDC 3.0), a massive plan aimed at mobilising $55 billion over the 2026–2035 period to confront climate change.

Faced with increasing vulnerability, the country is placing water security and agriculture at the center of a strategy for economic and social survival.

The document, discussed on May 16 and 17, 2026, during a seminar in Gammarth, highlights that without urgent action, the Tunisian economy could shrink by 3.4% by 2030, mainly due to water shortages and flood risks.

The agricultural sector, a pillar of social stability, could see its added value decline by 15% by 2030 if current trends continue.

To counter these risks, Tunisia has set ambitious quantified targets for water resources management.

Among other measures, the country plans to rely heavily on unconventional water resources. The strategy aims to increase seawater desalination capacity to 265 million cubic meters per year by 2035.

At the same time, the reuse rate of treated wastewater in agriculture is expected to reach 50%, compared to only 6% in 2022.

Regarding agriculture, the objective is to build a resilient farming sector capable of maintaining food security despite declining rainfall, projected to decrease between 9% and 12% by 2050.

The country plans to restore 1.2 million hectares of degraded land and use drought-tolerant tree varieties for 40% of new plantations.

A $55 billion financing plan largely dependent on international support

Implementing this climate ambition will require a colossal investment of $55 billion (approximately 161.29 billion Tunisian dinars), divided between adaptation measures (53%) and mitigation measures (47%).

For adaptation actions, the plan allocates $29 billion (around 85 billion dinars). Financial priority is given to water supply and sanitation ($10.7 billion, or about 31.31 billion dinars), followed by agriculture and food systems ($8 billion, or approximately 23.4 billion dinars).

On the mitigation side ($25 billion, or around 73 billion dinars), 87% of the funding needs concern the energy sector to accelerate decarbonisation.

Tunisia commits to covering 26% of these needs through national efforts (unconditional targets), while the success of 74% of the plan depends on international support (conditional targets).

To attract these funds, authorities plan to deploy a range of innovative economic tools. One of them is the climate taxonomy, recently established in 2025, which defines activities eligible for green financing in order to guide public and private investors.

Another mechanism for mobilising funds is carbon pricing. Tunisia plans to fully utilise the mechanisms of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement to monetise its emissions reductions and attract investments in clean energy.

Article 6 establishes rules for cooperation between participating countries regarding the use of the ITMO financing mechanism (tradable carbon credits).

The government also intends to carry out budgetary reforms to directly integrate climate issues into the state budget and the 2026–2030 development plan.

Tunisia, which is responsible for only 0.07% of global emissions, hopes to demonstrate that a low-carbon and resilient development model is possible, while also making an urgent appeal for international financial solidarity to protect its most vulnerable populations, according to presentations delivered during the seminar organised by the National Forum of Adaptation to Climate Changes (French: FNACC).

As a reminder, the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) is the central instrument through which each State Party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) formalises its emissions reduction commitments and adaptation plans.

This third version, called “NDC 3.0,” is directly aligned with the Paris Agreement. It notably responds to the recommendations of the first Global Stocktake of climate action, which calls for an immediate strengthening of ambition in order to keep global temperature rise below the 1.5°C threshold by the end of the century.

© Tap 2026 Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).