AWG-KP Update

The tenth session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP) was held in Copenhagen from 7 to 15 December 2009. The main focus in Copenhagen was to finalize the work of the AWG-KP and to agree on an amendment to the Kyoto Protocol to enable a second commitment period to follow the end of the first commitment period in 2012. Among the issues under discussion were: Amendments to the Kyoto Protocol pursuant to its Article 3, paragraph 9 Possible improvements to emissions trading and the project-based mechanisms Land use, land-use change and forestry Greenhouse gases, sectors and source categories Potential consequences – i.e. the potential environmental, economic and social consequences of actions undertaken by Annex I Parties to meet their emissions targets The Group forwarded the results of its work, contained in its report of the tenth session, for consideration by the fifth session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP). However, this work was not finalized. The CMP requested the AWG-KP to forward the results of its work to the CMP at its sixth session in Mexico in November/December this year. The next session of the AWG-KP will take place from 9-11 April in Bonn.

The report of the AWG-KP on its tenth session is available here.

Negotiations on reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries (REDD) under the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-LCA)continued at Copenhagen. Parties progressed in many sections of the negotiating text on REDD, in particular concerning the issue of safeguards. This includes respect for the knowledge and rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, as well as the protection of natural forests. Consensus was reached with regard to scope, i.e. the inclusion of all the activities reflected in the Bali Action Plan, such as reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and conserving and enhancing forest carbon stocks. There was further consensus on the need for a phased approach - starting with readiness; followed by implementation of action plans, policies and measures and demonstration activities; and finally evolving into full implementation, with results that are measurable, reportable and verifiable. Parties also agreed on the need for urgent financial support for the readiness phase, which should come from public funds.

There remains a divergence of views on the means of financing full implementation, such as the role of markets, and Parties have not yet decided whether REDD actions will be considered as a Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA).

REDD is also discussed under the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA).  In Copenhagen, the COP adopted a decision that provides methodological guidance to developing countries when implementing REDD activities - i.e. using the most recent guidance and guidelines from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and establishing robust and transparent national monitoring systems.

This COP15 decision also provides guidance on capacity-building, and the secretariat has been asked to enhance coordination of existing capacity-building activities.

At its fifth session in Copenhagen, the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP) adopted a decision titled “Further guidance relating to the clean development mechanism”. The decision contains a list of improvements to enhance the efficiency of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), expand its reach and maintain its environmental integrity.

Among other things, the decision:

• Grants the CDM Executive Board the flexibility to make changes to the mechanism’s registration and issuance procedures, which could quicken the process for stakeholders
• Allows for the allocation of financial resources to assist in the development of projects in countries with fewer than 10 projects
• Provides for the establishment of procedures for stakeholders to appeal decisions
• Calls for capacity-building and a system of continuous performance monitoring for designated operational entities, the third-party certifiers that assess requests for registration and issuance
• Calls for enhanced support to Designated National Authorities in the form of training and information sharing

“I am very happy, and certain that all of my colleagues on the CDM Executive Board are happy, to see that the Board’s recommendations for the scaling up and enhancement of the CDM have been endorsed by the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol,” said then CDM Executive Board Chair Lex de Jonge in a statement after the decision was adopted.

“The Board worked hard in 2009, through many late nights and two policy retreats, to come up with a whole list of improvements to enhance the efficiency of the mechanism, expand its reach and maintain its environmental integrity. It is very encouraging to know that we can now proceed on those recommendations,” said Mr. de Jonge.

CDM Executive Board chooses Clifford Mahlung as Chair in 2010

The CDM Executive Board at its 52nd meeting, held in February in Bonn, chose Clifford Mahlung of Jamaica to chair the Board in 2010, and Pedro Martins Barata of Portugal to serve as Vice-Chair. Mr. Mahlung, who was Vice-Chair in 2009, takes over from Lex de Jonge of the Netherlands.

More information on the Executive Board members can be found here.

On 15 April every year, developed country Parties to the Convention submit an inventory of their greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, developed countries that are also Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (KP) submit annual information to demonstrate their compliance with the Kyoto Protocol. Once submitted, this information is reviewed by experts who must have taken the relevant UNFCCC training courses and related examinations. The secretariat is currently preparing for the seventh meeting of lead review experts, to be held in Bonn from 10-12 March. Discussion at this meeting will focus on this year’s reviews, due to be conducted in September.

2010 is significant, in that it is the first year with mandatory reporting and review under the Kyoto Protocol, including reporting on activities related to land use, land-use change and forestry. (From 2007-2009, Parties to the KP submitted information on a voluntary basis in order to participate in the Kyoto mechanisms). Conclusions and recommendations coming out of the meeting are published on the secretariat's web site and can be found here.

Training of experts for inventory review activities

The secretariat is currently organizing an on-line training course for greenhouse gas inventory review experts under the Convention, to be held between February and April 2010. Examinations for those who have completed the on-line course will be held in Bonn in April. Further information on this training course can be found here.

In parallel, between February  and April 2010, the secretariat is organizing an on-line training course for review experts under the Kyoto Protocol, with the examinations also on-line. This course is only open to experts who have already passed the examinations for review experts under the Convention. More information on the training course for review experts under the KP is available here.

Review experts, who come  from both developed and developing countries, ensure that the inventory information, as well as the implementation of Annex I Parties’ commitments, are reviewed in a consistent and reliable way. They also gain invaluable experience for their own work in their home countries.

Anyone interested in becoming a review expert must first be nominated to the roster of experts by their national focal point. More information on this process is available here.

A second training course for review experts - under the Convention and under the Kyoto Protocol - will be offered later this year.