Climate Change Convention Parties discuss approaches to reduce emissions from deforestation in developing countries

At the workshop, which was hosted by the Government of Australia in Cairns between 7 and 9 March, governments presented the latest results of their activities to reduce emissions from deforestation, the lessons learned and elaborated on possible ways to move this issue forward.

“This second workshop identified areas of agreement as well as areas where there are divergent views and need to be resolved in order to ensure that progress is made on this important issue,” said Kishan Kumarsingh, Chair of the UNFCCC’s Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA), who led the meeting.  “Advancing work over the course of this year would help us agree, in Bali this year, on concrete and immediate actions to start immediately after COP 13 that would help developing countries to reduce emissions from deforestation.”

The workshop was part of a two-year process on deforestation launched at the UN Climate Change Conference in Montreal in December 2005. 

The meeting helped improve the understanding of reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries and allowed for an open and constructive discussion on policy approaches and positive incentives as well as technical and methodological requirements related to their implementation and assessment of their results and reliability.

Updated proposals of approaches to reduce emissions from deforestation were presented at the workshop.  These included calls for the establishment of a financial mechanism to provide positive financial incentives for developing countries that voluntarily reduce their emissions from deforestation. 

The results of the meeting were reported to the twenty-sixth session of the SBSTA in May 2007, Bonn, Germany.

The SBSTA decided to continue discussing the range of topics considered at the first workshop (held in Rome, Italy from 30 August to 1 September, 2006), including the submissions by Parties, at the second workshop, that will focus on: the discussions of ongoing and potential policy approaches and positive incentives, and technical and methodological requirements related to their implementation; assessment of results and their reliability; and improving the understanding of reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries (paragraphs 88, FCCC/SBSTA/2006/11).

To facilitate discussions at the workshop, the SBSTA invited Parties and accredited observers to submit to the secretariat, by 23 February 2007, their views on the topics referred to above.  In their submissions, Parties were invited to consider, as appropriate, relevant provisions of other conventions and also the work of multilateral organizations.  The SBSTA requested the secretariat to make available this information for discussion at the workshop (paragraphs 89-90, FCCC/SBSTA/2006/11).

The SBSTA invited Non-Annex I Parties that are in a position to do so, and on a voluntary basis, to submit to the secretariat, by 23 February 2007, any updated information and data additional to that provided in their latest national communications and synthesized in the background paper prepared for the first workshop, on emissions and trends in deforestation, data needs, and policies and programmes in place or being considered to address deforestation and its root causes.  The SBSTA requested the secretariat to compile and make available the information at the second workshop, and to provide a short presentation at the workshop (paragraph 91, FCCC/SBSTA/2006/11).

          Agenda

 Agenda

Relevant documents

Submissions from Parties have been compiled into a miscellaneous document FCCC/SBSTA/2007/MISC.2 and Add.1 for consideration by SBSTA 26.

Submissions from Parties on any updated information and data

Submissions from Intergovernmental Organizations have been compiled into a miscellaneous document FCCC/SBSTA/2007/MISC.3.

Submissions from Non-governmental Organizations

Presentations

Presentations held at the workshop

List of participants  pdf (190 kB)