SBI 37, Doha, November 2012
 
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 that it has provided for the preparation of national communications and on the arrangements made for the provision of financial support for biennial update reports (BURs) from Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention (non-Annex I Parties).¹

2. The SBI took note of the concerns raised by non-Annex I Parties on the availability of sufficient financial resources, as well as technical support, for the preparation of BURs from non-Annex I Parties.

3. The SBI noted with concern that as of 1 October 2012 the GEF secretariat had only received four requests for support to prepare BURs. The SBI, recalling decision 2/CP.17, paragraph 41(d), reiterated its urging of non-Annex I Parties to submit, as applicable, their requests to the GEF for support for the preparation of their first BUR, in a timely manner.² It also encouraged the GEF agencies to facilitate the preparation and submission of project proposals from non-Annex I Parties for the preparation of their BURs.

4. 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, in accordance with decision 10/CP.2, paragraph 1(b), including information on the dates of approval of funding and 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 by the SBI at its thirtyeighth session.

5. The SBI further 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 requests for funding and approval of funding, as well as of disbursement of funds, for consideration by the SBI at its thirty-eighth session.

6. It noted the submission³ made by a non-Annex I Party on the detailed costs it incurred, including in-kind contributions, for the preparation of its most recent national communication and on the financial resources received through the GEF, as invited by the SBI at its thirty-fifth* and thirty-sixth** sessions. It invited other non-Annex I Parties that have not already done so to submit their views on this issue by 25 March 2013. The SBI requested the secretariat to compile these submissions into a miscellaneous document for consideration by the SBI at its thirty-eighth session.

7. It encouraged the GEF, in accordance with decision 4/CP.14, to continue to ensure, as a top priority, that sufficient financial resources are provided to meet the agreed full costs incurred by developing country Parties in complying with their obligations under Article 12, paragraph 1, of the Convention.

8. The SBI took note with appreciation of the oral report by the GEF on the approval of a project that will be jointly administered by the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Environment Programme to continue providing logistical and technical support to non-Annex I Parties for the preparation of their national communications and BURs.

9. The SBI recommended that the Conference of the Parties (COP), at its eighteenth session, request the GEF to provide funds for technical support for the preparation of BURs from non-Annex I Parties, similar to that provided by the National Communications Support Programme, recognizing that the costs of such technical support are not deducted from the funds provided to non-Annex I Parties for the preparation of their BURs. It invited the GEF to report on this matter in its report to the COP at its nineteenth session.

10. The SBI noted with appreciation that, as at 1 December 2012, 141 initial, 81 second and three third national communications and one fourth national communication from non-Annex I Parties had been submitted. It also noted that 17 non-Annex I Parties are expected to submit their second national communications by the end of 2013.

¹ FCCC/SBI/2012/INF.10 and FCCC/CP/2012/6/Add.1 and 2.
² FCCC/SBI/2012/15, paragraph 53.
³ FCCC/SBI/2012/MISC.15.
* FCCC/SBI/2011/17, paragraph 39.
** FCCC/SBI/2012/15, paragraph 58.