Country Approaches to Artricle 6: 
Findings from a Review of  National Communications

Under the Convention, all Parties must report on the steps they are taking to implement the Convention (Articles 4.1 and 12).   The contents of  the national communications for both Annex I and non-Annex I countries are set out in the reporting guidelines agreed upon by COP 2 (decision 10/CP.2).

To date, a formal review of the national communications to learn about the activities undertaken regarding the implementation of Article 6 has not been done. However, at COP 6  an informal review of all national communications available at that time was done to synthesize a listing of  information products available by country and by category of Article 6. The results are presented herein (Table 1: Information products by country).

A second informal review of a random sample of 20 national communications was done, of which 10 were Annex I/Economies in Tranisition and 10 non-Annex. Three themes structured the review:

i.  On the basis of the information presented, could it be determined if targeted communications planning was taking place; and, if so, were some sectors more prominent in information campaigns?

ii. On the basis of information presented, was it apparent who was participating(what sectors/what stakeholders)?

iii. On the basis of information presented, what mechanisms were applied or developed to address public participation?

Annex I (7) and Economies in Transition (3) Countries

The national communications reviewed, from Annex 1 and Economies in Tranisition countries, included  Canada, the Czech Republic, the European Community, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania, Switzerland, and  the United States.

In 9 out of 10 cases it appears that  communication activities addressing climate change themes broadly are complemented with targeted campaigns. On the basis of the limited information presented it is not possible to accurately reflect the nature of messages delivered and the success of their intended impact, nor the overall approach to educational or public awareness programmes.

In 8 out of the 10 cases distinct sectors and/or stakeholder groups could be identified as participating in some way in responding to climate change and its effects or in developing adequate responses.

In all 10 cases, on the basis of information presented in the national communications, it was possible to discern mechanisms that were applied or developed to address public participation. The list of public participation mechanisms applied by each country reviewed are presented herein (Table 2: Public participation mechanisms by country).

Non- Annex I Countries

The national communications reviewed from Non-Annex 1 countries included Cap Vert, Cook Islands,Cap Vert, Honduras, Jamaica, Jordan, Mexico, Niger, the Philippines, Tuvalu and Zimbabwe.

In  4 out of 10 cases it appears that  communication activities addressing climate change themes are undertaken and these tend to be specific to the energy sector. On the basis of the limited information presented it is not possible to accurately reflect the overall approach to educational or public awareness programmes.

In 3 out of the 10 cases distinct sectors and/or stakeholder groups could be identified as participating in some way in responding to climate change and its effects or in developing adequate responses.

In 2 cases, on the basis of information presented in the national communications, it was possible to discern mechanisms that were applied or developed to address public participation. The list of public participation mechanisms applied by the three countries reviewed are presented herein (Table 2: Public participation mechanisms by country).