Distr.
GENERAL
FCCC/SBI/1999/INF.3
29 May 1999
ENGLISH ONLY
SUBSIDIARY BODY FOR IMPLEMENTATION
Tenth session
Bonn, 31 May - 11 June 1999
Item 4 (a) of the provisional agenda
1. The activities of the secretariat
to facilitate the provision of financial and technical support to
non-Annex I Parties for the preparation of national communications
are mandated by a stipulation of the Convention, decisions by the
Conference of the Parties (COP) and requests by the Subsidiary Body
for Implementation (SBI). (See Article 8.2(c), decisions 3/CP.2,
10/CP.2 and 12/CP.4).(1)
2. Decision 10/CP.2, in particular, requests the secretariat, in accordance with Article 8.2(c), "to facilitate assistance to Parties, particularly developing country Parties, in the preparation of their initial communications, through the organization of workshops at the regional level; to
provide a forum for the exchange of experiences in the development of emission factors and activity data for the preparation of the inventory, as well as, on request, for other elements of information in the initial communications; and to report to the SBI and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) at each of their sessions".
3. The present progress report includes the activities undertaken by the secretariat since the ninth session of the subsidiary bodies. Part II, section A and the table attached as an annex provide updates on the status of preparation of initial national communications by Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention. Part II, sections B to E summarize secretariat activities related to regional workshops and expert group meetings, information exchange, training, and other activities. Part III contains conclusions and presents a number of problems common to many non-Annex I Parties in preparing their initial national communications.
4. An overview of the status of preparation of the initial national communications of non-Annex I Parties is presented as an annex to the present document and reflects the responses of non-Annex I Parties to a questionnaire sent by the secretariat in April 1999, as well as information provided by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), its implementing agencies and bilateral programmes.
5. The status of preparation of initial national communications is as follows:
(a) Communications submitted. The initial national communications of 11 Parties have been submitted so far in the following order: Jordan, Argentina, Uruguay, Senegal, Federated States of Micronesia, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Zimbabwe, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Mauritius;
(b) Communications under preparation. Ninety-nine non-Annex I Parties are presently engaged in preparing their national communications. Thirty-eight of them expect to finalize the communications during the course of 1999, 35 in 2000 and the rest within years 2001 and 2002.
(c) Newly approved projects. Nine Parties have recently received approval of the GEF for the commencement of their enabling activity projects for the preparation of their initial national communications;
(d) Projects under preparation. Eight Parties are currently preparing projects for funding approval by the GEF;
(e) No activities reported. Two Parties indicated that they have not yet initiated activities to prepare their national communication and nine Parties have not provided any information relating to the preparation of their communications.
6. Seventy-five non-Annex I Parties, in responding to the above-mentioned questionnaire, have also provided more detailed feedback regarding specific elements of their initial national
communications, including activities and studies being prepared as well as the main problems and constraints encountered in the process of preparation of their communications.
7. Greenhouse gas inventory. Most non-Annex I Parties reporting information on the base year used for the preparation of their greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories used the base years proposed by the guidelines for the preparation of initial national communications annexed to decision 10/CP.2. Fifty-nine per cent (59 per cent) of respondents employed the 1994 base year while 29 per cent used the base year 1990. Twelve per cent (12 per cent) reported the use of other base years.
8. Almost all non-Annex I Parties providing feedback on the methodologies used for preparing GHG inventories indicated that they used the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines. Most of these Parties used the IPCC 1996 revised Guidelines (65 per cent), another 23 per cent used IPCC 1995 Guidelines, while 9 per cent used both Guidelines. About 3 per cent of the non-Annex I Parties reported that they also may use other methodologies.
Source: Responses to the questionnaire by 75 non-Annex I Parties.
(missing image)
9. Although only one third of these Parties reported that they have a permanent national GHG inventory system in place (33 per cent), such as a technical team or database, almost all of them declared their intention of establishing such a system (92 per cent).
10. Most of the respondents indicated that they had encountered difficulties in preparing their GHG inventories (90 per cent). Availability of data, lack of local emission factors and local resources such as local experts and databases, were identified as the main problems encountered in preparing their GHG inventories.
11. General description of steps. Almost all non-Annex I Parties responding to the questionnaire declared their intention to prepare sustainable development, research and systematic observation and public awareness programmes; 42 per cent of the respondents
indicated that they have already developed some activities towards the preparation of such programmes, while another 21 per cent declared that they have prepared national plans on climate change. Most of them responded however that they encountered difficulties in preparing such programmes (78 per cent), mainly due to lack of funds and local expertise as well as to difficulties in obtaining national consensus.
12. About 88 per cent of respondents indicated that they are in the process of undertaking vulnerability assessments. About 66 per cent of them have used or will use climate change scenarios; of them, 27 per cent have also used or will use socio-economic scenarios. The main areas selected for vulnerability assessment were agriculture and water resources followed by coastal zones, forestry, human health, biodiversity and energy. Some countries also declared they had undertaken vulnerability assessment on livestock, rangelands and fisheries sectors.
(missing image)
Source: Responses to the questionnaire by 75 non-Annex I Parties.
13. Approximately 52 per cent of the respondents are engaged in identifying adaptation options, while 31 per cent have yet to initiate such activities. The main sectors where adaptation options were identified were agriculture, water resources, forestry, coastal zones, human health and human settlements.
14. With regard to the identification of options for addressing GHG emissions by sources and removals by sinks, 56 per cent of the respondents intimated that they are in the process of identifying options while 32 per cent have yet to initiate activities. The main areas where the assessment of such options have been undertaken were energy followed by forestry, agriculture, transport, industry and waste management.
(missing image)
Source: Responses to the
questionnaire by 75 non-Annex I Parties.
15. Other information. Most non-Annex I Parties reported their intention to include projects for financing in their initial national communications (91 per cent). About 49 per cent of them also intend to make available material for the calculation of global emission trends, such as emission projections, data sources, calculation methods and information regarding software and databases used in the estimation of greenhouse gas emissions by sources and removals by sinks inventories.
16. Major problems and constraints. Non-Annex I Parties identified the availability of activity data, and the lack of local emission factors, national experts and trained persons as the main problems and constraints encountered in the preparation of their initial national communication.
(missing image)
Source: Responses to the questionnaire by 75 non-Annex I Parties.
17. Other problems identified by Parties included lack of public awareness, national procedural problems, reliability of data and lack of sufficient funds for the preparation of certain components of studies.
18. Parties are invited to update and amend the information provided in the annex. For this purpose, the questionnaire is distributed on a regular basis by the secretariat to all non-Annex I Parties.
19. Participation in workshops and expert group meetings allows the secretariat to interact with representatives of many Parties. It provides an effective means for increasing awareness of the reporting guidelines and of the technical details regarding essential components for the preparation of national communications. Further, workshops provide meaningful opportunities for non-Annex I Parties to share experiences in the preparation of communications. At the regional workshops already held, a number of key issues and concerns were expressed and recommendations were made based upon these experiences. These are summarized under Conclusions in part III of this document.
20.
The secretariat attended and made presentations at four regional thematic workshops organized under the National Communications Support Programme (NCSP). The Programme is a joint initiative of the Convention secretariat, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the GEF, implemented by UNDP and UNEP and with financial support from the GEF. The purpose of the programme is to enhance the capacity of non-Annex I Parties to prepare their initial national communication and to improve the quality, comprehensiveness and timeliness of the submissions.
21. The first thematic workshop on GHG inventories was held in Nairobi, Kenya, 19-21 January 1999, by UNEP for the African region while the workshop on GHG mitigation assessment for the Central American region organized by the UNDP was held in Antigua, Guatemala, on 3-5 March 1999. The thematic workshops on GHG inventories and GHG mitigation assessment for the Asia-Pacific region organized by the UNDP were held in Manila, Philippines, on 10-12 May and 13-14 May 1999, respectively.
22. The secretariat also attended the United States Country Study Program regional thematic workshop on GHG inventories for the Central American region held in Antigua, Guatemala, 1-2 March 1999.
23. At the GHG inventory workshops, the secretariat gave presentations on the guidelines for the preparation of initial national communications by non-Annex I Parties adopted at COP 2, with special emphasis on activity data and emission factors used by developing country Parties in GHG inventories as well as on actions by the secretariat on the COP 4 decision related to initial national communications.
24. During the thematic workshops on GHG mitigation assessment, the secretariat gave presentations on the guidelines for the preparation of initial national communications by non-Annex I Parties adopted at COP 2 and emphasized the need to be guided by agreed text relating to the general description of steps taken or envisaged by non-Annex I Parties to implement the Convention during the preparation of the initial national communication.
25. The secretariat has continued to disseminate the CC:INFO/Web Tutorial Kit 1.0 on CD-ROM. The CC:INFO/Web initiative was designed to encourage Parties to develop national Web sites on climate change and the implementation of the Convention, and to foster the growth of a network of such sites for the sharing of information and ideas. This CD-ROM contains a step-by-step tutorial kit and key software.
26. To date, 16 non-Annex I Parties have collaborated with the CC:INFO/Web initiative and have their national Web sites linked to the UNFCCC secretariat Web site. Thirty-five non-Annex I Parties have indicated their intention to collaborate with the CC:INFO/Web initiative as a possible activity to be undertaken as part of their enabling activity projects and another 40 have expressed willingness to develop national Web sites. Parties are welcome to provide the UNFCCC secretariat with the addresses of their national Web sites to be linked to the Web site of the secretariat.
27. The secretariat has made available on its Web site the full text of the national communications that have been submitted electronically so far. At present, nine initial national communications from non-Annex I Parties are available.
28. The CC:TRAIN programme is a joint training initiative of the UNFCCC secretariat and UNITAR. It began in 1994 as a training service to support the efforts of non-Annex I Parties to implement the UNFCCC. It has had two phases (phase 1 from 1994 to 1995 and phase 2 from 1996 to 1999), funded by the GEF with support from the Governments of Australia, Germany, Japan and Switzerland.
29. Phase 2 of the GEF-funded CC:TRAIN programme will conclude in 1999. After providing training and technical support for technical studies on climate change, CC:TRAIN is now focusing on facilitating the preparation of national communications and implementation strategies. The main outputs of phase 2 can be summarized as follows.
(a) Training and workshop packages. The programme has prepared training and workshop packages and guidance materials on: "Understanding the UNFCCC: Challenges and Opportunities"; "Understanding the Kyoto Protocol: Challenges and Opportunities"; "Preparing GHG Inventories"; "Preparing Mitigation Analysis"; "Preparing Vulnerability and Adaptation
Assessments"; "Preparing National Communications under the UNFCCC"; "Certificate Course on Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment"; "Establishing a Climate Change Country Team Guide"; "Planning Tools for Enabling Activities"; and "Handbook on Preparing National Implementation Strategies". All these packages are currently available on request from UNITAR or through the CC:TRAIN Web site (www.unitar.org/cctrain/).
In particular the workshop package on "Preparing National Communications under the UNFCCC", commissioned by the UNFCCC secretariat, is being made available, in English and in CD:ROM format, during the present sessions of the subsidiary bodies. This workshop package is designed to inform national decision and policy makers of the contents of the guidelines for the preparation of initial national communications by non-Annex I Parties. The package contains detailed information and material such as transparencies, group exercises and speaker's notes needed to conduct awareness-raising workshops. The package may also be accessed through the Web sites of the UNFCCC secretariat (www.unfccc.de) and CC:TRAIN (www.unitar.org/cctrain/).
(b) Organization of training workshops. By the end of 1999, CC:TRAIN will have organized more than 50 national and regional training workshops on a diverse number of subjects in the 17 participating countries and in five other countries/regions. Almost 1,000 national experts and participants will have been trained or involved by the end of 1999.
(c) Organization of university-based training on vulnerability and adaptation. One of the main outputs of CC:TRAIN has been training and technical support for vulnerability and adaptation assessments. In particular, CC:TRAIN has organized two certificate programmes: "PICCAP/CC:TRAIN Certificate Programme on Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment" (June-December 1998), and "University of the South Pacific Certificate Programme on Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment" (June-September 1999). Its work with the Pacific Island Parties through Pacific Islands Climate Change Assistance Programme (PICCAP) has allowed it to develop very relevant training services. The university-based certificate course developed by CC:TRAIN, PICCAP and the International Global Change Institute (IGCI) together is the first of its kind. After a successful debut at the University of Waikato in New Zealand, the course will now be offered by the University of the South Pacific in Fiji. Based on requests from other regional universities and centres of excellence, CC:TRAIN is seeking funds to establish a mechanism to allow the transfer of the course to other interested regional universities and centres of excellence.
(d) Assistance for institution-building. CC:TRAIN facilitated the establishment of working country teams in 17 countries. Additionally it has established a network of regional partner institutions in Africa, Latin America and the Pacific capable of providing region-specific training and technical support. It has also been assisting in the development and implementation of the PICCAP, a regional enabling activity funded by the GEF.
30. The secretariat and UNITAR are seeking funding to continue with the future work of the CC:TRAIN programme in partnership with other organizations. In the last two years, CC:TRAIN has been continually requested to provide training on climate change studies and the preparation of national communications by non-Annex I Parties and various enabling activity projects. Significant investments have been made in developing the CC:TRAIN training materials and mechanisms. Additional funding is required to translate, maintain, update and improve them. New training materials and information packages will also be required over time. An urgent need now is to update the packages and find ways of consolidating the additional knowledge base developed at regional and national levels into the packages. New delivery mechanisms using the Internet and more systematic regional mechanisms need to be developed to make the training services even more effective.
31. The secretariat co-chairs the Advisory Committee of the NCSP, approved by the GEF Council in March 1998. The activities of the programme are designed, among others, to improve coordination of existing assistance and provide additional technical support to developing countries in the preparation of their initial national communications. The secretariat provided substantive inputs into the preparation and revision of the work plan of the programme.
32. To facilitate the implementation of COP decision 10/CP.2 (paragraph 1(a)) requesting the UNFCCC secretariat to provide, particularly to developing country Parties, a "forum for the exchange of experiences in the development of emission factors and activity data for the estimation of the inventory", the secretariat is preparing a technical paper on "Comparative analysis of emission factors and activity data used in the estimation of GHG inventories in land-use change and forestry and energy sectors of some developing countries". The paper will be made available for consideration by the SBI at its eleventh session.
33. Following the recommendations of the GEF Assembly, the secretariat has been participating in a consultative process under the GEF framework to identify possibilities of improving the determination of incremental costs. The secretariat participated in the GEF Consultative Workshop on Clarifying Incremental Costs held in London, United Kingdom, 25-26 March 1999. The workshop's recommendations focused on effective project design, simplified approaches to incremental cost analysis, phased financing of projects, project performance indicators, and implementation of climate change projects.
34. Pursuant to decision 12/CP.4, the secretariat is preparing a report for consideration by the SBI at its eleventh session, containing the views and concerns of Parties with regard to the GEF review of enabling activities to be undertaken in late 1999.
35. In an effort to facilitate assistance to developing country Parties the secretariat is preparing project proposals for "Assessing the Prospects for Improving Assistance to non-Annex I Parties in the Areas of Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Measures to the
Impacts of Climate Change" and "Exploring Reporting Linkages among the Conventions on Climate Change, Biological Diversity and Combating Desertification". Funds are being sought to implement the projects with the active involvement of major stakeholders.
36. The secretariat has continued to provide comments on the consistency of GEF project proposals with the Convention and with the guidance provided by the COP. To date, the secretariat has provided comments on more than 310 such proposals.
37. The preparation of initial national communications by non-Annex I Parties is currently under way, and efforts are being made by the GEF and its implementing agencies to facilitate this process. Nevertheless, progress towards the completion and submission of national communications is slow. The NCSP may play a role in speeding up the overall process.
38. At the regional thematic workshops on GHG inventories attended by the secretariat, participants identified several issues and problems in inventory preparation by non-Annex I Parties, and developed recommendations on how to overcome them. These are summarized below.
(a) Activity data. Participants agreed that activity data for the energy sector were generally reliable. However, a number of countries were of the view that further technical assistance is needed for developing energy balances, which are the main source of data for estimating GHG emissions in this sector. Most countries considered that activity data for land-use change and forestry were unreliable and difficult to obtain. Participants believed that satellite imagery interpretation is the most viable approach for generating land-use data. However, they raised concerns about the costs involved in obtaining the satellite imagery, as well as the technical capacity needed for interpreting it. A regional approach for generating land-use data was recommended, with the assistance of national and international organizations, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Countries also recognized a lack of activity data for small and medium-size industries to account for emissions from industrial processes. The same constraint was identified for industrial waste water, to estimate methane emissions from waste. Participants recommended closer cooperation with the relevant industries and industrial associations to overcome data constraints. It was agreed that activity data collated for a GHG inventory can serve other purposes. The information can serve as a basis for formulation of policies and strategies for the future economic development of a country. This should serve as an incentive to a systematic and careful collection of such data.
(b) Emission factors. Countries are currently using the default values for most sectors as provided in the IPCC Guidelines. Participants from all the regions were of the view that improving emission factors is a high priority in all relevant source categories. This would help make national inventories more reliable. Because of the limited financial resources and
expertise, participants recommended that attention should be concentrated on the main sources of GHG emissions of relevance to their regions. Guidance for developing and validating emission factors was also considered as critical for improving emission estimates.
(c) IPCC methodology. Most participants were familiar with the IPCC methodology and it was suggested that the IPCC reporting guidelines could be followed to ensure transparency. The method for estimating soil carbon in land-use change and forestry was considered to be too complex. The data required to apply this method are generally not available and the calculation procedures are not easy to follow. It was recommended that the IPCC develop a simplified approach. Where the IPCC reporting guidelines were not used, it was necessary to indicate the methodology used in the national communication. Countries must carefully archive data used in preparing the inventory for ease of replication and data update.
(d) Regional/subregional cooperation. Countries felt that the dissemination of regional data would be a valuable contribution to preparing GHG inventories. As many countries of the region share similar problems in collecting information and conducting national inventories, participants recommended regular and systematic exchange of data and methods used. This would help identify the areas where countries could propose a regional approach for generating and improving activity data and emission factors. Concerns were raised as to how these regional proposals could be developed and implemented effectively. As an initial step for facilitating data dissemination, countries encouraged an informal exchange of information during the process of inventory preparation.
(e) Databases. Countries recommended the development of both national data banks and regional databases as a practical approach for the exchange of information among countries. The databases could also provide information on experts involved in the preparation of GHG inventories and national communications. This would facilitate the exchange of information and technical expertise among countries. However, no options for developing these databases were identified. Participants recommended that the feasibility and implementation of such databases be discussed further.
(f) Capacity building. The development of national capacities was considered as the basis for an effective implementation of enabling activities. To avoid losing the national capacities built under their climate change projects, countries recognized that institutional mechanisms were needed to maintain, update, and report GHG inventories. More technical assistance and training were recommended. However, countries would need to clearly identify the areas where capacity building is required in the short and long term.
(g) Financial assistance. Participants agreed that adequate international funding is the key to successful implementation of activities for preparing national communications. Several areas were identified for financial assistance. These include the improvement of activity data and emission factors, the institutional arrangements and mechanisms for preparing and
updating national communications, and the development and operationalization of national and regional databases for the preparation of GHG inventories.
39. Participants at the regional thematic workshop on GHG mitigation held in Antigua, Guatemala identified several issues relating to GHG abatement analysis and made recommendations on ways to address them. These are summarized below.
(a) Data. The input data needed for developing baseline scenarios are limited in a number of developing countries. Adopting the references of other countries with similar socio-economic status and national circumstances can help to establish an appropriate baseline. Within each region, there is a need for more formal exchange of data, information and experiences between national climate teams. This exchange could be facilitated by e-mail and other means. Improved communication might help to establish a joint programme of work at the regional level.
(b) Models. Models that countries intend to employ must be well suited to national circumstances. The Long-Range Energy Alternative and Planning System (LEAP) model, which is flexible but is limited to the energy sector, has been widely employed by many countries in the regions. Four other models which have been used by countries for the agriculture and forestry sectors are the Erosion and Productivity Impact Calculator (EPIC), CENTURY, GLOBE and COmprehensive Mitigation Assessment Process for forestry (COMAP) models. Some countries requested training in the use of these models or the development of a simplified model.
(c) GHG abatement options and projects. Abatement options developed should reflect national and regional conditions as may be appropriate. GHG abatement projects to be implemented should be appropriate in the political, socio-economic, cultural, technological and financial contexts. There should also be national and regional technical capacities and capabilities to facilitate their implementation. Such projects can be integrated into non-climate projects and the linkages across other sectors be identified within the framework of national development programmes. Some GHG abatement projects should also be formulated in such a way as to enable their implementation under a clean development mechanism regime.
(d) Setting up implementation strategies. National strategies should be developed to promote effective implementation. It is desirable to integrate mitigation projects into other national ongoing development programmes. This will promote the effectiveness of any GHG abatement implementation strategy.
Annex STATUS OF THE
PREPARATION OF NATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS
BY PARTIES NOT
INCLUDED IN ANNEX I TO THE CONVENTION
(Entries
for least developed countries in
italics)
Party
Indicated
date of submission of national commu-nication
Status of
preparation of national communication
Institutional
arrangements
General
status
Greenhouse
gas inventory
General
description of steps
Climate
change committee
Expert
technical team
Afghanistan
26 Jan
1999
To be
initiated
Albania
3 Oct
1994 2000
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion: 2000) (Base year: 1994) (Methodology: IPCC 1995
guidelines, IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
Ongoing
Algeria
9 Jun
1993
Ongoing
(Expected duration
of work: 18 months)
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion:
January 2000)
(Base year: 1994)
(Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion:
April 2000)
Established
Antigua and
Barbuda
2 Feb
1993 December
1999
Ongoing
To be initiated
(Expected duration of work: 4 to 5 months)
Ongoing
Established
Argentina
11 Mar
1994 Submission made in
July 1997
Initial national
communication finalized
Finalized
(Base years: 1990
and 1994)
(Methodology: IPCC
1995 guidelines)
Finalized
Established
Armenia
14 May
1993 Submission made in
November 1998
Initial national
communication finalized
Finalized
(November
1998)
(Base year:
1990)
Finalized
(November
1998)
Azerbaijan
16 May
1995 January
2000
Ongoing
Completed
(April
1999)
(Base year: 1990)
(Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion: November 1999)
Established
Party
Indicated
date of submission of national commu-nication
Status of
preparation of national communication
Institutional
arrangements
General
status
Greenhouse
gas inventory
General
description of steps
Climate
change committee
Expert
technical team
Bahamas
29 Mar
1994
Ongoing
(Expected duration
of work: 18 months)
To be initiated
(Expected duration of work: 18 months)
To be
initiated
Established
Bahrain
28 Dec
1994 May 2000
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion:
May 1999)
(Base year:
1994)
(Methodology: IPCC
1996 revised guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion:
May 2000)
Established
Bangladesh
15 Apr
1994
Ongoing
Completed
(July
1996)
Ongoing
Barbados
23 Mar 1994
Ongoing
To be
initiated
To be
initiated
Belize
31 Oct
1994 January
2000
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion:
March 1999)
(Base year:
1994)
(Methodology: IPCC
1996 revised guidelines)
To be initiated
(Expected duration of work: six months)
Established
Benin
30 Jun
1994 July
2000
Ongoing
Completed
(December 1997) (Base year:1992) (Methodology: IPCC 1995
guidelines)
Ongoing
Proposed
Bhutan
25 Aug
1995 December
1999
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Expected date
of completion:
July
1999)
(Base year:
1994) (Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised
guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date
of completion: December 1999)
Established
Bolivia
3 Oct
1994 October
1999
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion:
June 1999)
(Base year: 1994)
(Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
Completed
( March
1999)
Established
Botswana
27 Jan
1994
Ongoing
Completed
(Base year: 1990),
On-going
(Base year: 1994)
(Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion:
July 1999)
Established
Brazil
28 Feb
1994 August 1999
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Base year: 1994)
(Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion:
August
1999)
Proposed
Burkina
Faso
2 Sep
1993 December
1999
Ongoing
Completed
(December 1998) (Base year: 1994) (Methodology: IPCC 1996
revised guidelines)
Ongoing
Established
Burundi
6 Jan
1997
Project
under way
Cambodia
18 Dec
1995 December 2001
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Expected date
of completion:
June
2000)
(Base year:
1994) (Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised
guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date
of completion:
July
2001)
Proposed
Cameroon
19 Oct
1994
Ongoing
Completed
(Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
Ongoing
Established
Cape
Verde
29 Mar
1995
February
2000
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Base year:
1994)
Ongoing
(Expected date
of completion:
January
2000)
Established
Proposed
Central
African Republic
10 Mar
1995 August
1999
Ongoing
Completed
(April
1999)
(Base year:
1994)
Methodology:
IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
Ongoing
Established
Chad
7 Jun
1994 December
2000
Ongoing
Completed
(Base year:
1994)
(Methodology:
IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
To be
initiated
Established
22 Dec
1994 July/August
1999
Ongoing
Completed
(March 1999)
(Base year:1994)
(Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion: June/July 1999)
Established
China
5 Jan
1993
Project to be
initiated
To be
initiated
(Base year: 1994)
(Methodology: in accordance with guidelines in decision
10/CP.2, annex paragraph 8 and table II)
To be initiated
(Expected duration of work: to be initiated after enough
progress in the preparation of national inventory)
Established
Colombia
22 Mar
1995 October
2000
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion:
August
1999)
(Base year: 1990)
(Methodology: IPCC 1995 guidelines, IPCC 1996 revised
guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion: December 1999)
Established
Comoros
31 Oct
1994 January
2000
Ongoing
To be
initiated (Expected duration of work: 6 months) (Base year:
1994) (Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised
guidelines)
To be
initiated (Expected duration of work: 6 months)
Proposed
Congo
14 Oct
1996
Project
under way
To be
initiated
To be
initiated
Proposed
Proposed
Cook
Islands
20 Apr
1993
Ongoing
Completed
(Base year: 1994)
(Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
Ongoing
Costa Rica
26 Aug 1994
Ongoing
Completed
(September 1995) (Base year: 1990)
Ongoing
Established
Côte
d'Ivoire
29 Nov
1994 June 1999
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion:
May 1999)
(Base year:
1994)
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion:
May 2000)
Proposed
Cuba
5 Jan
1994
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion: First quarter of year 2000)
Completed
(Base year: 1990)
(Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion: December 1999)
Established
Cyprus
15 Oct 1997
Democratic
People's Republic of Korea
5 Dec
1994
Ongoing
Completed
(July 1997)
(Base year: 1990)
(Methodology: IPCC 1995 guidelines)
To be initiated
(Expected duration of work: 8 months)
Established
Democratic
Republic of the Congo
9
Jan
1995
Ongoing
(Expected
duration of work: 24 months)
To be
initiated
(Expected
duration of work: 12 months)
(Base year
1990)
To be
initiated
(GHG
mitigation programmes)
(Expected
duration of work: 8 months)
Established
Djibouti
27 Aug
1995
Project to be
initiated
To be
initiated (Expected duration of work: 10 months) (Base year:
1994) (Methodology: IPCC 1995 guidelines)
To be
initiated
Proposed
Dominica
21 Jun
1993 December
2000
Ongoing
(Expected duration
of work: one and half years)
To be
initiated
To be
initiated
Proposed
Dominican
Republic
1998
Project to be
initiated
Ecuador
23 Feb
1993
Project to be
initiated
(Expected duration
of work: 15 months)
Completed
(1998)
(Base year: 1990)
(Methodology: IPCC 1995 guidelines)
Ongoing
Established
Egypt
5 Dec
1994 July 1999
Ongoing
Completed
(August
1998)
(Base year:
1990)
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion:
July 1999)
Established
El Salvador
4 Dec
1995 August 1999
Ongoing
Completed
(October 1998)
(Base year:1994)
(Methodology: IPCC
1996 revised guidelines)
To be
initiated
Established
Eritrea
24 Apr
1995
Mid-1999
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Base year:
1994)
Ongoing
Proposed
Ethiopia
5 Apr
1994 October
2000
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Expected date
of completion:
June
1999)
(Base
year:1994)
(Methodology:
IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date
of completion: September 2000)
Established
Fiji 25 Feb 1993
October
1999
Ongoing/PICCAP
Ongoing
(Expected duration
of work: 1997-1999)
Ongoing
(Expected duration
of work: 1997-1999)
Gabon
21 Jan 1998
Ongoing
To be
initiated
To be
initiated
Proposed
Gambia
10 Jun
1994 March
2000
Ongoing
Completed
(1994),
Ongoing for updating
(Expected date
of completion:
March
2000)
(Base year:
1994) (Methodology: IPCC 1995 guidelines, IPCC 1996 revised
guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date
of completion:
March
2000)
Established
Georgia
29 Jul
1994 April 1999
Completed
Completed
(30 April 1999)
(Base year: 1990) (Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised
guidelines)
Completed
Established
Ghana
6 Sep
1995 August 1999
Ongoing
Completed
(May 1998)
(Base year:
1994)
(Methodology: IPCC
1995 guidelines, IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
Ongoing
Established
Grenada
11 Aug 1994
Ongoing
To be initiated
(Expected duration of work: 18 months) (Base year: 1994)
To be initiated
(Expected duration of work: 18 months)
Proposed
Guatemala
15 Dec 1995
Ongoing
Ongoing
Ongoing
Guinea
7 May
1993 June
2000
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Base year:
1995)
Ongoing
(Expected date
of completion:
March
2000)
Established
Guinea-Bissau
27 Oct
1995
Ongoing
To be
initiated (Expected duration of work: 3 months)
To be
initiated
Proposed
Guyana
29 Aug
1994 May 2000
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion: September 1999) (Base year: 1994) (Methodology:
IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
To be initiated
(Expected duration of work: 12 months)
Established
Haiti
25 Sep
1996 February 2000
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Expected date
of completion: November 1999) (Base years: 1994 and 1995)
(Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date
of completion: February 2001)
Established
Honduras
19 Oct
1995 July 1999
Ongoing
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion:
July 1999)
Proposed
India
1 Nov 1993
Project to be
initiated
Ongoing
Indonesia
23 Aug
1994
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion: 1 July 1999)
(Base year: 1994)
(Methodology: IPCC 1995 guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion:
June 1999)
Established
Iran (Islamic
Republic of)
18 Jul
1996 July 2000
Ongoing
Completed
(15 January 1999)
(Base year: 1994) (Methodology: in accordance with
COP 2
guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion: 2000)
Established
Israel
4 Jun
1996 December
1999
Ongoing
Completed
(January 1999)
(Base year: 1996)
(Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
To be initiated
(Expected duration of work:
December
1999)
Established
Jamaica
6 Jan
1995 April 2000
Ongoing
To be initiated
(Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
To be
initiated
Proposed
Jordan
12 Nov 1993
Submission made in
March 1997
Initial national
communication finalized
Finalized
(Base year:
1994)
Established
Kazakhstan
17 May
1995
Submission made in
November 1998
Initial national
communication finalized
Finalized
(1996)
(Base years: 1990
and 1994)
(Methodology: IPCC
1995 guidelines)
Finalized
Proposed
Kenya
30 Aug
1994
Project under
way
Completed
(June 1998)
(Base year: 1992)
(Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
To be initiated
(Expected duration of work: 1 year)
Established
Kiribati
7 Feb
1995 October
1999
Ongoing/PICCAP
Completed
(December 1997) (Base year: 1990), Ongoing
(Expected date
of completion: second quarter 1999)
(Base year:
1994)
Established
Kuwait
28 Dec 1994
Lao People's
Democratic Republic
4 Jan
1995
Ongoing
(E xpected
duration of work: End of year 1999)
Completed
(March
1998)
(Base year:
1990) (Methodology: IPCC 1995 guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date
of completion: End of 1999)
Established
Lebanon
15 Dec
1994 May 1999
Ongoing
Completed
(April 1998)
(Base year: 1994)
(Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion:
August 1999
(Climate change
enabling activity project)
Established
Lesotho
7 Feb
1995 July 1999
Ongoing
Completed
(31 December
1998) (Base year:1994) (Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised
guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date
of completion:
April
1999)
Established
Malawi
21 Apr
1994 December
2001
Ongoing
Completed
(December 1997) (Base year: 1990) (Methodology: IPCC 1996
revised guidelines)
To be
initiated (Expected duration of work: 3 months)
Proposed
Malaysia
13 Jul
1994 June 1999
Ongoing
Completed
(May 1999)
(Base year: 1994)
(Methodology: IPCC 1995 guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion:
June 1999)
Established
Maldives
9 Nov
1992 December
2001
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Expected date
of completion:
June
1999)
(Base year:
1994) (Methodology: IPCC 1995 guidelines, IPCC 1996 revised
guidelines)
Ongoing
Proposed
Mali
28 Dec
1994
Ongoing
Completed
(July
1998)
(Base year:
1995)
Ongoing
(Expected
duration of work: 1 year)
Established
Malta
17 Mar
1994
Project to be
initiated
Completed
(1997)
(Base year: 1990)
(Methodology: IPCC 1995 guidelines)
To be
initiated
Proposed
Marshall
Islands
8 Oct
1992 October
1999
Ongoing/PICCAP
Ongoing
(Expected duration
of work: 1997-1999)
Ongoing
(Expected duration
of work: 1997-1999)
Established
Mauritania
20 Jan
1994
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Base year:
1994)
Ongoing
Proposed
Mauritius
4 Sep
1992 Submission made
in
May 1999
Initial national
communication finalized
Finalized
(January
1998)
(Base year:
1995)
(Methodology: IPCC
1996 revised guidelines)
Finalized
Established
Mexico 11 Mar
1993 Submission made
in
December
1997
Initial national
communication finalized
Finalized
(September
1995)
(Base year:
1990)
(Methodology: IPCC
1995 guidelines)
Finalized
Established
Micronesia
(Federated States of)
18 Nov
1993 Submission made
in
December
1997
Initial national
communication finalized
Finalized
(February
1995)
(Base year:
1990)
Ongoing
(Base year:
1994)
Finalized
Mongolia
30 Sep
1993
Ongoing
Completed
(December 1997) (Base year: 1990)
To be initiated
(Expected duration of work: 14 months)
Proposed
Morocco
28 Dec
1995 1999
Ongoing
Completed
(April 1995)
(Base year: 1990)
(Methodology: IPCC 1995 guidelines);
Ongoing
(Base year
1994)
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion: 1999)
Established
Mozambique
25 Aug
1995
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Base year:
1990)
To be
initiated (Expected duration of work: 24 months)
Proposed
Myanmar
25 Nov
1994
Project to be
initiated
Ongoing
(Base year:
1990) (Methodology: IPCC 1995 guidelines)
Completed
(November 1998)
Namibia
16 May
1995
Project to be
initiated
Completed
(March 1999)
(Base year:1994)
(Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
To be initiated
(Expected duration of work: 8 months)
Established
Nauru
11 Nov
1993 September
1999
Ongoing
Completed
(January
1999)
(Base year: 1994)
(Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion:
July 1999)
Established
Nepal
2 May
1994
Project under
way
To be
initiated (Expected duration of work: 2 years)
To be
initiated (Expected duration of work: 2 years)
Proposed
Nicaragua
31 Oct
1995 September 2000
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion: November 1999) (Base year: 1994) (Methodology:
IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion:
July 2000)
Proposed
Niger
25 Jul
1995 October
2000
Ongoing
First draft
completed (February 1999) (Base year: 1990) (Methodology:
IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date
of completion:
October
2000)
Established
Nigeria
29 Aug
1994 December
1999
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion: December 1999)
Established
Niue
28 Feb
1996 December
1999
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Base year: 1994)
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion:
August
1999)
Established
Oman
8 Feb
1995
Ongoing
Draft final report
completed (November 1996)
Ongoing
Established
Pakistan
1 Jun
1994
Ongoing
(Expected duration
of work: 18 to 24 months)
Ongoing
(Updating first
draft prepared as part of ALGAS project)
(Base year:
1990)
Ongoing
Proposed
Panama
23 May
1995 August 2000
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion:
August
1999)
(Base year: 1994)
(Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion:
15 months)
Established
Papua New
Guinea
16 Mar
1993
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion:
July 1999)
(Base year: 1994)
(Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
To be initiated
(Expected date of completion: December 1999/January
2000)
Established
Paraguay
24 Feb
1994 May 2000
Ongoing
Completed
(November 1998)
(Base year: 1990)
(Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion: 2000)
Proposed
Peru
7 Jun
1993 2000
Ongoing
Completed
(Base year:
1990),
Ongoing
(Base year:
1994)
Ongoing
Established
Philippines
2 Aug
1994 May 1999
Ongoing
Completed
(April
1999)
(Base year: 1994)
(Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion:
May 1999)
Established
Qatar
18 Apr 1996
Project to
be initiated
To be initiated
Established
Republic of
Korea
14 Dec 1993
Submission made in
February 1998
Initial national
communication finalized
Finalized
(Base year:
1990)
(Methodology: IPCC
1995 guidelines)
Finalized
Proposed
Republic of
Moldova
9 Jun 1995
Ongoing
Proposed
Rwanda
Saint Kitts
and Nevis
7 Jan 1993
Ongoing
(Expected duration
of work: 18 months)
To be
initiated
To be
initiated
Proposed
Saint Lucia
14 Jun 1993
November
2000
Ongoing
To be initiated
(Base year:
1994)
To be
initiated
Proposed
Saint Vincent and
the Grenadines
2 Dec 1996
Project under
way
Ongoing
On going
Samoa
29 Nov
1994
October
1999
Ongoing/PICCAP
Ongoing
(Expected
duration of work: 1997-1999)
Ongoing
(Expected
duration of work: 1997-1999)
Established
San Marino
28 Oct 1994
Saudi
Arabia
28 Dec 1994
To be
initiated
Ongoing
Senegal
17 Oct 1994
Submission made in
December 1997
Initial national
communication finalized
Finalized
(Base year: 1994)
(Methodology: IPCC
1996 revised guidelines)
Finalized
Established
Seychelles
22 Sep
1992 September
1999
Ongoing
Completed
(July 1997)
(Base years: 1994
and 1995) (Methodology: IPCC 1995 guidelines)
Completed
(September
1996)
Established
Sierra
Leone
22
Jun
1995
Project
under way
To be
initiated
(Base year:
1994)
Singapore
29 May
1997 August 2000
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion:
July 2000)
(Base year: 1994)
(Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion: September 1999)
Solomon
Islands
28 Dec
1994
Ongoing
Completed for
energy sector
(1988),
Ongoing to
update information for all sectors
(Base year:
1994) (Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised
guidelines)
Ongoing
Established
South
Africa
29 Aug 1997
July 2000
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Base year:
1994)
Established
Sri Lanka
23 Nov
1993
Ongoing
Completed
(1996)
(Base year: 1992)
(Methodology: IPCC 1995 guidelines),
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion: 1999) (Base year: 1995) (Methodology: IPCC 1996
revised guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion: 1999)
Established
Sudan
19 Nov
1993
Ongoing
Suriname
14 Oct
1997
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Base year:
1994)
Ongoing
Established
Swaziland
7 Oct
1996 March 2000
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion:
April 1999)
(Base year: 1994)
(Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
To be initiated
(Expected duration of work: 3 months)
Proposed
Syrian Arab
Republic
4 Jan 1996
Ongoing
(Expected duration
of work: 24 months)
Completed
(April
1998)
Ongoing
Established
Thailand
28 Dec
1994
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion:
July 1999)
(Base year: 1994)
(Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
Ongoing
Established
The Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
28 Jan
1998
Project under way
(Expected duration of work: 24 months)
To be initiated
(Expected duration of work: 24 months) (Base year: 1994)
(Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
To be initiated
(Expected duration of work: 24 months)
Proposed
Togo
8 Mar
1995 December
2000
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Expected date
of completion:
July
1995)
(Base year:
1995) (Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised
guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date
of completion:
June
2000)
Proposed
Trinidad and
Tobago
24 Jun 1994
Ongoing
Tunisia
15 Jul
1993 August 1999
Ongoing
Completed
(First edition:
September 1998, Second edition: April 1999)
(Base year: 1994)
(Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
Completed
(January
1997)
Established
Turkmenistan
5 Jun
1995
Ongoing
Completed
(April 1999)
(Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion: December 1999)
Established
Tuvalu
26 Oct
1993
October
1999
Ongoing/PICCAP
Ongoing
(Expected
duration of work: 1997-1999)
Ongoing
(Expected
duration of work: 1997-1999)
Uganda
8 Sep
1993
Project under
way
United Arab
Emirates
29 Dec 1995
United
Republic of Tanzania
17 Apr
1996 August
1999
Ongoing
Completed
(1995) and
updated (1998)
(Base year:
1994) (Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised
guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date
of completion:
August
1999)
Established
Uruguay
18 Aug
1994 Submission made in
October 1997
Initial national
communication finalized
Finalized
(March
1997)
(Base year: 1990)
(Methodology: IPCC 1995 guidelines),
Updated
(October 1998)
(Base year: 1994) (Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised
guidelines)
Finalized
(October
1997)
Proposed
Uzbekistan
20 Jun
1993 September
1999
Ongoing
Completed
(March
1999)
(Base years: 1990
and 1994) (Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion:
May 1999)
Established
Vanuatu
25 Mar
1993 August
1999
Ongoing
Completed
(March 1999)
(Base year:
1994) (Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised
guidelines)
To be
initiated (Expected duration of work: 60 days)
Established
Venezuela
28 Dec
1994
Ongoing
(Expected duration
of work: 22 months)
Completed
(1994)
(Base year:
1990),
Ongoing
(Expected duration
of work: 18 months) (Base year: 1994)
Ongoing
(Expected duration
of work: 18 months)
Proposed
Viet Nam
16 Nov
1994
Project under
way
Ongoing
(Expected date of
completion: December 1999) (Base year: 1994) (Methodology:
IPCC 1995 guidelines)
To be initiated
(Expected duration of work: 6 months)
Established
Yemen
21 Feb
1996 December
1999
Ongoing
Ongoing
(Expected date
of completion: September 1999) (Base year: 1995)
(Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised guidelines)
Ongoing
(Expected date
of completion: September 1999)
Established
Yugoslavia
3 Sep 1997
Zambia
28 May
1993 December
1999
Ongoing
Completed
(February
1999) (Base year: 1994) (Methodology: IPCC 1996 revised
guidelines)
Ongoing
Established
Zimbabwe
3 Nov
1992 Submission made in
May 1998
Initial national
communication finalized
Finalized
(December 1997)
(Base year: 1994) (Methodology: IPCC 1995 guidelines, IPCC
1996 revised guidelines)
Finalized
(December
1997)
Established
Status of the
preparation of national communications
(continued)
Chile
07 Oct
Established
Proposed
Note:
ALGAS Project = Asia Least-cost Greenhouse Gas Abatement Strategy Project
PICCAP = Pacific Islands Climate Change Assistance Programme
1. For decisions of the Conference of the Parties at its second session, see FCCC/CP/1996/15/Add.1; for decisions of the Conference of the Parties at its fourth session, see FCCC/CP/1998/16/Add.1.