AWG-KP begins final year of work - text for website

2009 will be a challenging year for the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex 1 Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP) - established in 2005 - as it prepares to conclude its programme of work in Copenhagen in December. At COP 14 in Poznań, the Group considered all the elements of its work programme and agreed on its activities for 2009.

The Group agreed that further commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol should, for the next commitment period, principally take the form of quantified emission limitation and reduction objectives (QELROs). The AWG-KP took note of the pledges for emission reduction targets made by some Parties and invited other Annex I Parties to submit information on their possible QELROs before its seventh session, to be held in Bonn, Germany, from 29 March to 8 April 2009. For further information on submissions click here.

On potential environmental, economic and social consequences of tools, policies, measures and methodologies available to Annex I Parties, the AWG-KP agreed that work on this issue should be guided and informed by the best available scientific, social, environmental and economic information, and be based on evidence of actual impacts and consequences. It was acknowledged that tools, policies, measures and methodologies available to Annex I Parties could have potential consequences for all Parties, and that attention should be given to the negative consequences for developing countries.
Report on the Poznań session.

An in-session workshop was held in Poznań on "mitigation potentials and ranges of emissions reduction objectives by Annex I Parties". The workshop provided an opportunity for Parties and international organizations to share information on national and international studies on mitigation potentials, and on criteria and approaches for the allocation of emission reduction efforts among developed countries. The report of the workshop is contained in Annex 1 of the report on the Poznań session.

Upcoming seventh session of the AWG-KP

The AWG-KP has agreed that its focus this year will be on reaching consensus on further commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol. It will turn its attention to developing texts on further commitments, beginning with a broad collection of proposals put forward by Parties. These texts should evolve through 2009 toward reflecting consensus.

To enable the AWG-KP to forward the results of its work to CMP 5 in Copenhagen, it is essential that the group takes a step forward in developing the texts on further commitments at its upcoming seventh session in Bonn. This session - the first in 2009 - will set the stage for the rest of the year.

The issues under discussion at AWG-KP 7 will be:

Scale of emission reductions to be achieved by Annex I Parties in aggregate
The contribution of Annex I Parties, individually or jointly, to the scale of emission reductions to be achieved by Annex I Parties in aggregate
Duration of the commitment period(s)
How QERLOS could be expressed
Mitigation potential of Annex I Parties
Improvements to emissions trading and the project based mechanisms
The definitions, modalities, rules and guidelines for the treatment of LULUCF in the second commitment period
The coverage of greehouse gases (GHGs), sectors and source categories
Common metrics to calculate the carbon dioxide equivalent of anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks
Legal matters arising from its mandate pursuant to Article 3, paragraph 9, of the Kyoto Protocol
Potential environmental, economic and social consequences, including spillover effects, of tools, policies, measures and methodologies available to Annex I Parties
Possible approaches targeting sectoral emissions
How approaches to limit or reduce emissions of GHGs not controlled by the Montreal Protocol from aviation and marine bunker fuels could be used by Annex I Parties as a means to reach their emission reduction targets
Emissions of GHGs from aviation and marine bunker fuels
Analysis of efforts and achievements to date, including during the first commitment period

At its resumed sixth session, the AWG-KP requested its Chair to develop four notes, which the Chair hopes will assist the group in developing the above-mentioned texts on further commitments:

A note on possible elements for amendments to the Kyoto Protocol on commitments for subsequent periods for Parties included in Annex 1
A note on possible elements of a text relating to issues outlined in paragraph 49 of the report of the resumed sixth session of the AWG-KP
A note to further elaborate the possible improvements to emissions trading and the project-based mechanisms
A note to elaborate options, elements and issues relating to land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF)

The seventh session of the AWG-KP will be preceded by a number of preparatory events, including:

In-depth consultations on land use, land-use change and forestry, as well as emissions trading and the project-based mechanisms. The aim is to enhance understanding, and further refine concepts, of possible improvements to emissions trading and the project-based mechanisms, and options for the treatment of LULUCF
Introduction of the AWG-KP Chair's texts

These pre-sessional events will allow Parties to focus in on detailed issues in preparation for the actual negotiations during the seventh session.

Two workshops will take place in conjunction with the seventh session, one before and one during the session. The pre-sessional workshop will focus on issues relating to the scale of emission reductions to be achieved by Annex I Parties in aggregate. The in-session workshop will concentrate on potential consequences of mitigation tools, policies, measures and methodologies available to Annex I Parties (to be held back-to-back with the workshop on economic and social consequences of response measures, under the AWG-LCA.) The secretariat is preparing an information note to facilitate discussion at this workshop.