SBI 39, Warsaw, November 2013


1. The Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) took note of the information provided by the secretariat of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) on the financial support provided by the GEF for the preparation of national communications and biennial update reports (BURs) by Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention (non-Annex I Parties).¹

2. The SBI invited the GEF to continue providing detailed, accurate, timely and complete information on its activities relating to the preparation of national communications by non-Annex I Parties, including information on the dates of the approval of funding and the disbursement of funds. It also invited the GEF to continue providing information on the approximate date of completion of the draft national communications, and an approximate date of submission to the secretariat of the national communications, for consideration at SBI 41 (December 2014).

3. The SBI invited the GEF to continue providing detailed, accurate, timely and complete information on its activities relating to the preparation of BURs, including information on the dates of the request for funding, approval of funding, disbursement of funds as well as an approximate date of submission to the secretariat of BURs, for consideration at SBI 40 (June 2014).

4. The SBI noted that as at 11 November 2013 the GEF secretariat had received 30 requests for support to prepare BURs. Recalling decision 2/CP.17, paragraph 41(d), the SBI encouraged the non-Annex I Parties that have yet to submit, as applicable, their requests to the GEF for support for the preparation of their first BURs to do so in a timely manner.² In addition, it encouraged the GEF implementing agencies to continue facilitating the preparation and submission of project proposals by non-Annex I Parties for the preparation of their BURs.

5. Recalling decision 9/CP.18, the SBI encouraged the GEF to make support available to non-Annex I Parties for preparing their subsequent BURs in a timely manner, taking fully into account decision 2/CP.17, paragraph 41(a) and (e). The SBI also recalled decision 2/CP.17, which decided that enhanced support for the preparation of BURs should be ensured by developed country Parties and other developed Parties included in Annex II to the Convention by means of resources, in accordance with Article 4, paragraph 3, of the Convention, on the basis of agreed full-cost funding.

6. The SBI noted the progress made by the GEF in the finalization of its Global Support Programme, a project that will be administered jointly by the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Environment Programme, with the objective of enhancing support to non-Annex I Parties in the preparation of their national communications and BURs. It noted that the aim of the project is to assist non-Annex I Parties in the timely preparation and submission of their national communications and BURs.

7. The SBI also welcomed the release by the secretariat, as scheduled,³ of an upgraded version of the national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory software for non-Annex I Parties.⁴ It encouraged non-Annex I Parties to start using the upgraded software for the development of their national GHG inventories. It further welcomed the efforts made by the secretariat to provide relevant training to national experts from non-Annex I Parties with a view to facilitating the efficient use of the software. It encouraged the secretariat to continue making every effort to ensure that the relevant training is made available to all non-Annex I Parties.

8. The SBI took note of the estimated budgetary implications of the activities to be undertaken by the secretariat as referred to in paragraph 7 above.

9. It requested that the actions of the secretariat called for in these conclusions be undertaken subject to the availability of financial resources.

10. The SBI noted with appreciation that, as at 11 November 2013, 145 initial, 94 second and four third national communications and one fourth and one fifth national communication from non-Annex I Parties had been submitted. It also noted that, by the end of 2013, one initial national communication, 22 second and three third national communications from non-Annex I Parties are expected to be submitted.


¹ FCCC/SBI/2013/INF.7, FCCC/SBI/2013/INF.8 and FCCC/CP/2013/3/Add.2.
² FCCC/SBI/2012/15, paragraph 53.
³ FCCC/SBI/2011/17, paragraph 43.
⁴ The upgraded greenhouse gas inventory software is available at http://unfccc.int/7627.php.