Background
At its first session (Berlin, March/April, 1995), by its decision
5/CP.1, the COP launched a "pilot phase of activities implemented jointly" (AIJ).
Under the pilot phase, Parties may implement projects on a voluntary basis that
reduce greenhouse gas emissions, or enhance removals of greenhouse gases by "sinks",
in addition to what would have occured otherwise, in the territories of other
Parties. However, no credits may accrue to any Party for such reductions or removals.
Decision 5/CP.1 established a set of criteria to guide AIJ,
and encouraged Parties to report on their activities conducted under the pilot
phase. Parties must now use the uniform
reporting format adopted at COP 3 to prepare these reports. Each year, the
secretariat compiles a synthesis of the reports received, which the COP then uses
to review progress on the pilot phase on an annual basis.
Decision 5/CP.1 also called on the COP to conduct a "comprehensive
review" of the pilot phase in order to take a "conclusive decision" on it by 2000.
The issue of AIJ, including its comprehensive review, was incorporated under the
Buenos Aires Plan of Action adopted at COP 4 (Buenos Aires, November 1998). The
comprehensive review was concluded by COP 5 (Bonn, October/November 1999), which
decided to continue the pilot phase beyond 2000. Parties agreed that, during the
continuation of the pilot phase, the issue of geographical imbalance, in particular
the lack of projects in Africa and small island developing States, should be addressed.
A draft revised reporting format prepared by the secretariat
was presented to Parties during COP 5. An improved version, taking into account
comments from Parties and including draft guidelines for its use, was considered
at SBSTA/SBI 13, part I (September 2000). Parties decided to consider the draft
further at a future session.
Due to lack of agreement on a package of decisions under the
Buenos Aires Plan of Action, the COP did not adopt its annual decision reviewing
progress on the AIJ pilot phase when meeting at its sixth session (The Hague,
November 2000). Instead, the draft text of a decision was forwarded to a resumed
session of COP 6.
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At COP 6 part II (Bonn, July 2001), Parties completed their work
on a decision on AIJ, and forwarded it to COP 7 (Marrakesh, October/November 2001)
for adoption. The completed decision continues the pilot phase and requests the
secretariat to organize a workshop on the draft revised uniform reporting format.
The deadline for Parties to submit information to be considered
in the fifth annual synthesis report on AIJ (FCCC/SBSTA/2001/7)
was 15 June 2001.
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