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ACTIVITIES IMPLEMENTED JOINTLY (AIJ)

List of Programmes

1. A) Designated national authority for activities implemented jointly.

Name (English): U.S. Initiative on Joint Implementation

Acronym: USIJI

Street: 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Code: PO-6

City: Washington, D.C. 20585

Country: U.S.A.

Telephone: (202) 586-3288

Fax: (202) 586-3485, -3486

E-mail: csmt@igc.apc.org

Contact Person: Dr. Robert K. Dixon, Director

Direct Tel: (202) 586-3003

Direct Fax: (202) 596-3485, -3486

Direct E-mail: rdixon@igc.apc.org

2. Description of Programme structure and features:

Initiated in 1993 as part of the U.S. Climate Change Action Plan, the U.S. Initiative on Joint Implementation (USIJI) supports the development and implementation of voluntary projects between U.S. and non-U.S. partners that reduce, avoid, or sequester greenhouse gas emissions. Final groundrules for the USIJI Program, published in 1994, describe the purpose of the pilot program, outline the time line for evaluation and reassessment of the program, define eligibility criteria for domestic and non-U.S. participants, establish an Evaluation Panel to review potential USIJI projects, and define criteria for acceptance of projects into the USIJI portfolio.

To date, the program has received over 60 project proposals, resulting in 25 accepted projects in 11 countries. These projects apply a variety of technologies and practices, including wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, and solar energy; coal to natural gas fuel switching; methane gas capture; and sustainable forest management and preservation.

Projects accepted into the USIJI Program are evaluated against the nine criteria, and four other areas of consideration, included in the USIJI Groundrules. These criteria are intended to identify those projects that support the development goals of the host country while providing greenhouse gas benefits beyond those that would occur in the absence of the joint implementation activity. The criteria have been formulated to ensure that projects accepted into the program will produce real, measurable net emissions reductions. Net emissions reductions achieved as a result of USIJI projects will be measured, monitored, verified, and reported.

The USIJI Program is directed by an Interagency Working Group, chaired by the Department of State, which has the primary responsibility for policy development. The USIJI Evaluation Panel is co-chaired by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy, and includes representatives from the Agency for International Development and the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Interior, State, and Treasury. The USIJI Secretariat, an interagency staff, supports the day-to-day operation of the USIJI Program. Technical experts are drawn from a wide variety of organizations to assist the Secretariat in the proposal review process and to provide technical assistance to project developers.

The USIJI Secretariat offers a variety of technical services to support both the development and the implementation of USIJI projects. These technical services include:

1) technical assistance to assist project partners in calculating emissions reductions benefits, developing monitoring and verification plans, and identifying sources of project financing;

2) capacity building to support human and institutional capacity building for joint implementation in countries around the world; 3) information resources including technical guidance documents, databases, a fax-on-demand service, an information hotline, and an Internet site; and 4) public recognition to help project participants increase the visibility of their participation in the program.

The USIJI Secretariat will accept project proposals at any time, and will provide limited technical assistance to project developers to help address USIJI project evaluation criteria and other considerations as specified in the USIJI Groundrules. A formal proposal evaluation and acceptance process is conducted three times per year.

3. Process for obtaining approval:

A. Brief description of procedure:

The USIJI Secretariat manages the proposal evaluation process. The evaluation schedule includes announcements of newly accepted USIJI projects in June 1997, October 1997, and February 1998. After project developers submit project proposals to the USIJI Secretariat, they are assigned to Proposal Managers on the USIJI Secretariat staff, who screen them for completeness. Project developers are contacted for additional information, clarification, and/or consultation, as necessary. Proposals are then distributed to technical reviewers for a thorough evaluation of each proposal. Each proposal is reviewed by a team of experts familiar with the technology, country-specific issues, and environmental effects specific to that proposal. Following technical review, Proposal Managers draft a Decision Memorandum for each proposal. Each Decision Memorandum includes discussion of how well each USIJI criterion is addressed by the proposal and a recommendation for acceptance or rejection by the Evaluation Panel. The Evaluation Panel meets to review the recommendations present in the Decision Memoranda. Project developers are then notified in writing whether or not their project has been accepted by the USIJI Evaluation Panel. Project proposals that meet most, but not all, of the USIJI criteria are placed in an "in-development" category. In-development proposals are eligible to receive technical assistance and, once all USIJI criteria are met, may be re-evaluated at a subsequent USIJI Evaluation Panel meeting. Project proposals may be informally submitted to the USIJI Secretariat at any time for feedback from Secretariat staff. Once a proposal has been formally submitted to the USIJI Secretariat within proposal submission deadlines, the Secretariat will make every effort to complete the evaluation process within 90 days.

B) List all criteria for national acceptance of an activity implemented jointly:

a) Criteria that support decision 5/CP.1:

1) Is acceptable to the government of the host country.

2) Involves specific measures to reduce or sequester greenhouse gas emissions initiated as a result of the USIJI Program, or in reasonable anticipation thereof.

3) Will reduce or sequester greenhouse gas emissions beyond those referred to in 1) a) below, and if federally funded, is or will be undertaken with funds in excess of those available for such activities in fiscal year 1993.

4) Identifies associated environmental and developmental benefits and impacts.

b) Other criteria for national acceptance of AIJ:

1) Provides data and methodological information sufficient to establish a baseline of current and future greenhouse gas emissions:

a) in the absence of the specific measures of the project;

b) as a result of the specific measures of the project.

2) Contains adequate provisions for tracking the greenhouse gas emissions reduced or sequestered as a result of the project, and on a periodic basis, for modifying such estimates and for comparing actual results with those originally projected.

3) Contains adequate provisions for external verification of the greenhouse gas emissions reduced or sequestered by the project.

4) Provides adequate assurance that greenhouse gas emissions reduced or sequestered over time will not be lost or reversed.

5) Provides for annual reports to the Evaluation Panel on the emissions reduced or sequestered, and on the share of such emissions attributed to each of the participants - domestic and foreign - pursuant to the terms of voluntary agreements among participants.

4. Summary of activities:

A. Summary of AIJ projects reported under Annex 1:

Summary of USIJI Projects

(1) The following definitions are used for these categories:

Mutually agreed = accepted USIJI proposal; activity is agreed between all Parties involved (designated national authorities), but project activities have not begun on site

In progress = any stage of activity between "mutually agreed" and "completed"

Completed = project is finished/terminated

(2) Project life refers to the estimated functional lifetime of the project, not necessarily the period over which GHG reductions are estimated to occur.

(3) Reduction estimates are made by project developers. Estimates are in metric tonnes, full molecular weight basis. The USIJI Program does not accept these estimates per se, but will be monitoring and verifying emissions reductions as they are attained.

(4) Although the information on this project that is contained in this report is based on the project proposal and other material provided by the project developer, the developer has not yet reviewed this report.

(5) Actual reductions achieved will depend upon the amount of funding received.

B. Non-Project Activities:

Conferences/Workshops

• January 1995: JI Southeast Asia Regional Workshop, Bangkok, Thailand.
• March 1995: JI Central and Eastern Europe Workshop, Prague, Czech Republic.
• March 1995: JI South American Regional Workshop, Santiago, Chile.
• May 1995: Middle East Regional Workshop, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
• May 1995: USIJI Program Conference, Arlington, Virginia, USA.
• June 1995: JI Workshop for the Americas, San Jose, Costa Rica.
• June 1996: Co-sponsored the regional Southeast Asia Workshop on AIJ, in Jakarta, Indonesia.
• November 1996: Co-sponsored the JI Capacity Building Workshop in La Paz, Bolivia.
• January 1997: Co-sponsored the conference on AIJ: Developing Country Perspectives in New Delhi, India.
• April 1997: Co-sponsored the JI Capacity Building Workshop in Santiago, Chile.
• July 1997: Co-sponsored the Regional Workshop on Activities Implemented Jointly in Cairo, Egypt.

Guidance Documents and Other Materials

• April 1996: U.S. submitted Report on AIJ to the UN FCCC Secretariat.
• March 1997: In conjunction with the IIEC, published and distributed a brochure and report: Opportunity Knocks: The Export Market for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Products and Services.
• Published and distributed a USIJI Program Brochure, 6 editions of International Partnerships Reports, 2 USIJI Fact Sheets, a USIJI poster, and 3 sample USIJI proposals.
• Established a USIJI page on the Internet, JI Online, which can be accessed at http://www.ji.org.
• Published a draft resource document: USIJI Project and Proposal Development.