Background Information on Long-term Climate Finance for the Period 2014-2020

The work programme on long-term finance, launched by the Conference of the Parties (COP), at its seventeenth session, and extended at its eighteenth session, concluded its work at COP 19.

COP 19, in decision 3/CP.19, included three types of activities concerning long-term climate finance for the period 2014 to 2020 including, biennial submission by developed country Parties on their updated approaches and strategies for scaling up climate finance, continued deliberations on long-term finance through in-session workshops, and biennial high-level ministerial dialogues.

Specifically, COP 19 requested developed country Parties to prepare biennial submissions on their updated strategies and approaches for scaling up climate finance from 2014 to 2020, including any available information on quantitative and qualitative elements of a pathway, including:

(a) Information to increase clarity on the expected levels of climate finance mobilized from different sources;
(b) Information on their policies, programmes and priorities;
(c) Information on actions and plans to mobilize additional finance;
(d) Information on how Parties are ensuring the balance between adaptation and mitigation, in particular the needs of developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change;
(e) Information on steps taken to enhance their enabling environments, following on from the report of the co-chairs of the extended work programme on long-term finance.

COP 19 requested the secretariat to or organize in-session workshops to facilitate continued deliberations of Parties on, inter alia, strategies and approaches for scaling up climate finance, cooperation on enhanced enabling environments and support for readiness activities, and on needs for support to developing countries from 2014 to 2020.

Further, COP 19 decided to convene biannually a high-level ministerial dialogue on climate finance starting in 2014 and ending in 2020, informed by, inter alia, the workshops and the submissions listed above. The COP requested the presidency of the Conference of the Parties to summarize the deliberations of the dialogue.

COP 20, by decision -/CP.20, strengthened the elements included in decision 3/CP.19 with further specifications and actions for the period 2016-2020, including:

• Request to developed country Parties to enhance the available quantitative and qualitative elements of a pathway in the next round of updated biennial submissions on strategies and approaches for scaling up climate finance for the period 2016–2020, placing greater emphasis on transparency and predictability of financial flows, as per decision 3/CP.19, paragraph 10;
• Preparation of a compilation and synthesis of the biennial submissions on the strategies and approaches by the secretariat which will inform the in-session workshops;
• The in-session workshops will be organized by the secretariat annually with a summary report for annual consideration by the Conference of the Parties and the high-level ministerial dialogue on climate finance;
• The in-session workshops in 2015 and 2016 will focus on the issues of adaptation finance, needs for support to developing country Parties and cooperation on enhanced enabling environments and support for readiness activities in accordance with decision 3/CP.19, paragraph 12.

Further, COP 20 invited the thematic bodies under the Convention, in particular the Standing Committee on Finance, the Adaptation Committee and the Technology Executive Committee, where appropriate, to consider the long-term finance issues referred in decision 3/CP.19, paragraph 12 when implementing their 2015–2016 workplans, as an input to the in-session workshops in 2015 and 2016.

Background Information on the Extended Work Programme on Long-term Finance in 2013

The Conference of the Parties (COP) at its eighteenth session in decision 4/CP.18, decided to extend the work programme on long-term finance for one year to the end of 2013.

The aim of the work programme is to inform developed country Parties in their efforts to identify pathways for mobilizing scaled-up climate finance to USD 100 billion per year by 2020 from public, private and alternative sources in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation, and to inform Parties in enhancing their enabling environments and policy frameworks to facilitate the mobilization and effective deployment of climate finance in developing countries.

The President of COP 18 was invited by the COP to appoint two co-chairs, one from a developing country Party and one from a developed country Party. The co-chairs,supported by the secretariat, were requested to report back to the Conference of the Parties, at its nineteenth session, on the outcomes of the work programme.

In the context of the agreed outcome pursuant to the Bali Action Plan in decision 4/CP.18, the outcomes of the extended work programme on long-term finance will also inform the in-session high-level ministerial dialogue under the Conference of the Parties, at its nineteenth session, in its consideration of the progress made in the mobilization of the long-term finance and efforts being undertaken by developed country Parties to scale up the mobilization of climate finance after 2012.

Background Information on the Work Programme on Long-term Finance in 2012

The Conference of the Parties (COP), at its seventeenth session, in decision 2/CP.17, decided to undertake a work programme on long-term finance in 2012, including workshops, in order to make progress on long-term finance in the context of decision 1/CP.16, paragraphs 97–101.

The aim of the work programme is to contribute to the on-going efforts to scale up the mobilization of climate change finance after 2012. As such it will analyze options for the mobilization of resources from a wide variety of sources, public and private, bilateral and multilateral, including alternative sources and relevant analytical work on climate-related financing needs of developing countries. The analysis will draw upon relevant reports including that of the High-level Advisory Group on Climate Financing and the report on mobilizing climate finance for the Group of Twenty and the assessment criteria in the reports, and will also take into account lessons learned from fast-start finance.

The President of COP 17 was invited by the COP to appoint two Co-Chairs, one from a developing country Party and one from a developed country Party. The secretariat was requested to assist the Co-Chairs in supporting the workshops. Additionally, the Co-Chairs, supported by the secretariat, were requested to prepare a report on the workshops for consideration by COP18.