Wednesday 1 May

Workstream 1 (discussing options towards the 2015 global climate agreement):

On 1 May, two round tables were held, one on adaptation and one on means of implementation of climate action. There was a clear tendency to see adaptation and mitigation as "two sides of the same coin", with the need to combine both in a coherent approach to address climate change and to drive the required transformation to resilient development. Governments are in the process of identifying how the ADP could add value to adaptation on top of existing arrangements. Delegates also began a discussion on finance in the context of the 2015 agreement. There was a constructive discussion, with many delegates emphasizing the need for support to enable mitigation and adaptation in a transparent manner.

Workstream 2 (raising ambition to combat climate change now):

With regard to workstream 2, a workshop on opportunities for mitigation and adaptation related to land use was held. Delegates heard expert presentations on managing land use and forests - a scientific perspective on carbon conservation and sequestration - as well as an overview of experience on the ground in the area of land use and climate change. Views were exchanged on implementation of national climate change strategies and mainstreaming of climate change considerations in policies and issues such as addressing sustainable natural resources management, territorial planning, forest monitoring and agricultural production. There was consensus that multiple benefits, such as food security, sustainable livelihoods, economic and productivity gains, biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation represent a major driving force behind national action on climate change.

Participants furthermore shared views on the importance of international cooperation and potential involvement of other international organizations and partnerships, such as FAO, UN-REDD programme and REDD+ partnership. They noted that countries that have taken ownership and shown leadership, and have engaged all important stakeholders from the outset, are making particularly good progress in the implementation of REDD+.

Tuesday 30 April

On workstream 1 (discussing options towards the 2015 global climate agreement):

On 30 April, a round table on workstream 1 was held. Responding to the Co-Chairs' calls for more focus, governments delineated clearly and concretely their ideas about the contours of the 2015 agreement. Although many complex questions remain, signs of convergence were clearly visible in the statements given. Many governments are seeking a system, in the context of the Convention and its principles, that integrates bottom-up and top-down approaches, using best elements of both. In particular, a strong interest emerged to create an innovative "menu" or "spectrum" of commitments compatible with national circumstances, as well as a mechanism to regularly ratchet up ambition to meet the requirements of the 2 degrees goal. The next step is to discuss what is needed from the 2015 agreement to enhance, complement and add value to action on mitigation, adaptation, means of implementation and transparency.

On workstream 2 (raising ambition to combat climate change now):

At a workshop on low-emission development opportunities, participants saw expert presentations of examples of what can be done to address issues such as energy efficiency, renewable energy and low-emission technology. It emerged that a breadth of mitigation actions are already taking place both at national and international levels, and ample opportunities exist to further scale up these actions. At this workshop and at a round table on workstream 2, delegates looked at how low-emission development strategies require the right enabling environment and effective inter-ministerial cooperation as well as sufficient financial means of implementation in order to achieve transformational change. Consensus emerged that broad involvement of all stakeholders as well as support at the highest political level are critically important for low-emission development implementation.

Monday 29 April

The ADP 2 successfully launched its work 29 April, engaging in some of the most challenging aspects of the design of the 2015 legal agreement to ensure it is ambitious, durable and effective. The launch also came against a background of steeply rising global greenhouse gas emissions and a growing sense of urgency to take action to stave off the worst effects of climate change.

At the opening of ADP 2, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres said: "My dear friends, I welcome you here with a heightened sense of concern. The concern, which I am sure you have all read, is that the measurements of atmospheric concentrations of CO2 provided by Mauna Loa Observatory are already at 399.72 parts per million. We are just about to cross the 400 ppm threshold. Hence, this meeting, the Second Meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action, meets in a heightened sense of urgency."

In the morning of 29 April, the ADP held an opening plenary and agreed on the organization of work. In the afternoon, the ADP held this session's first workshop on design aspects of the 2015 agreement. The workshop opened with expert presentations on challenges in designing the agreement, on national climate-change related legislation, on ways to allocate responsibilities and on equity and fairness. Governments then engaged in a 4-hour discussion on general design aspects of the future agreement, on the relationship between the UN process and national policy, on the question of commitments, and on how to combine fairness and effectiveness in the agreement. You can see the presentations given at the workshop here.