NDC enhancement and COVID-19 recovery: Building blocks for a sustainable future Photo: Sarah Farhat / World Bank As 2020 began, the question of whether and how countries would strengthen their commitments under the Paris Agreement loomed large — until the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic took center stage. Governments are understandably focused on immediate recovery from the health, economic and employment consequences of the pandemic. But the urgent need to keep global temperature change below 1.5 degrees C remains, so many countries are also continuing to strengthen their climate action, including through enhanced nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. And together, recovery and NDCs can serve as critical levers for putting us on track to seize the tremendous economic benefits from climate action, limit the most dangerous impacts of climate change, and build an equitable economy that is more resilient to future shocks like COVID-19.