Consultative Group of Experts (CGE)

Credit: Ameen Fahmy on Unsplash and UN Climate Change

Consultative Group of Experts (CGE) is the main channel for the provision of technical assistance and support to developing country Parties in fulfilling their reporting requirements in relation to measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) under the Convention and the enhanced transparency framework (ETF) under Article 13 of the Paris Agreement. This includes inter alia, facilitating the provision of technical advice and support to developing country Parties to prepare their national communications and biennial transparency reports, and providing technical advice to the secretariat on the implementation of the training of technical expert review teams.

Mandate

At COP 26 in Glasgow, United Kingdom, by decision 14/CP.26, adopted the revised terms of reference of the CGE.

At COP24 in Katowice, Poland, by decision 11/CP.24, it was decided that the mandate of the Consultative Group of Experts on National Communications from Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention will be extended for eight years, from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2026 and renamed it the Consultative Group of Experts (CGE).

In addition to assisting developing country Parties fulfil their reporting requirements under the Convention, the CGE will also support the implementation of the enhanced transparency framework under Article 13 of the Paris Agreement.

This includes facilitating the provision of technical advice and support to developing country Parties to prepare their biennial transparency reports and providing technical advice to the secretariat on the implementation of the training of technical expert review teams.

The CGE at its 14th meeting updated its work programme for 2026-2029. In addition, the group at its 14th meeting developed its 2026 workplan including priorities and key activities in 2026

In 2018, the CGE agreed to make available information notes on the work of the CGE; one being an account of the work of the CGE for the period 2014-2017 supplemented with a second note featuring an analysis of the impacts and added value of the work undertaken by the CGE during that period.

To that end, two information notes have been prepared and are available below:

CGE information note - Part I
CGE information note - Part II

Decisions related to the CGE

At COP 30 in Belem, Brazil, decisions 9/CP.30 and 16/CMA.7, adopted the revised terms of reference of the CGE, and its composition. It is also decided that the CGE will serve both the Convention and the Paris Agreement and that the term of the CGE will continue.

At COP 26 in Glasgow, United Kingdom, by decision 14/CP.26, adopted the revised terms of reference of the CGE.

At COP24 in Katowice, Poland, by decision 11/CP.24, it was decided that the mandate of the Consultative Group of Experts on National Communications from Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention will be extended for eight years, from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2026 and renamed it the Consultative Group of Experts (CGE).In addition to assisting developing country Parties fulfil their reporting requirements under the Convention, the CGE will also support the implementation of the enhanced transparency framework under Article 13 of the Paris Agreement.

COP 22, by decision 20/CP.22, requested by the SBI, at its forty-eighth session, to consider a review of the term and mandate of the CGE, including the terms of reference.

COP 19, by decisions 19/CP.19, continued the CGE for five years, from 2014-2018.

COP 18, by decision 18/CP.18, extended for a term of one year the CGE, including its current membership. The COP also decided that the CGE, in fulfilling its mandate, shall function in accordance with the terms of reference contained in the annex to decision 5/CP.15.

COP 15 by its decision 5/CP.15, reconstituted the CGE for three years from 2010-2012, and mandated the Group to develop its work programme (FCCC/SBI/2010/INF.2) at its first meeting which was held in Bonn, Germany, from 29-31 March 2010.

COP 8 reviewed the terms of reference of the CGE. In recognition of the excellent role that the CGE played in assisting non-Annex I Parties improve the process of the preparation of their NCs, the COP decided to continue the mandate of the CGE for 5 years and revised its terms of reference (Decision 3/CP.8). Under this mandate, the objective of the CGE was to improve the process of the preparation of the second and subsequent NCs by providing technical advice and support to non-Annex I Parties. This mandate expired at COP 13 (December 2007).

COP5: The arrangement of provision of technical and financial support to Parties not included in non-Annex I Parties in preparing their NCs is embedded in Article 12.7 of the Convention. In accordance with the provisions of this Article, COP 5 established the CGE with the objective of improving the process of preparation of NCs from non-Annex I Parties (Decision 8/CP.5).