Background Information on Long-term Climate Finance (2014-2020)
The work programme on long-term finance, launched by the Conference of the Parties (COP), at its seventeenth session, and extended at its eighteenth session, concluded its work at COP 19.
COP 19
COP 19, in decision 3/CP.19, included three types of activities concerning long-term climate finance for the period 2014 to 2020 including, biennial submission by developed country Parties on their updated approaches for scaling up climate finance, continued deliberations on long-term finance through in-session workshops, and biennial high-level ministerial dialogues.
Specifically, COP 19 requested developed country Parties to prepare biennial submissions on their updated strategies and approaches for scaling up climate finance from 2014 to 2020, including any available information on quantitative and qualitative elements of a pathway, including:
(a) Information to increase clarity on the expected levels of climate finance mobilized from different sources;
(b) Information on their policies, programmes and priorities;
(c) Information on actions and plans to mobilize additional finance;
(d) Information on how Parties are ensuring the balance between adaptation and mitigation, in particular the needs of developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change;
(e) Information on steps taken to enhance their enabling environments, following on from the report of the co-chairs of the extended work programme on long-term finance.
COP 19 requested the secretariat to organize in-session workshops to facilitate continued deliberations of Parties on, inter alia, strategies and approaches for scaling up climate finance, cooperation on enhanced enabling environments and support for readiness activities, and on needs for support to developing countries from 2014 to 2020.
Further, COP 19 decided to convene biannually a high-level ministerial dialogue on climate finance starting in 2014 and ending in 2020, informed by, inter alia, the workshops and the submissions listed above.
COP 20
COP 20, by decision 5/CP.20, strengthened the elements included in decision 3/CP.19 with further specifications and actions for the period 2016-2020, including:
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Request to developed country Parties to enhance the available quantitative and qualitative elements of a pathway in the next round of updated biennial submissions on strategies and approaches for scaling up climate finance for the period 2016–2020, placing greater emphasis on transparency and predictability of financial flows, as per decision 3/CP.19, paragraph 10;
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Preparation of a compilation and synthesis of the biennial submissions on the strategies and approaches by the secretariat which will inform the in-session workshops;
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The in-session workshops will be organized by the secretariat annually with a summary report for annual consideration by the Conference of the Parties and the high-level ministerial dialogue on climate finance;
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The in-session workshops in 2015 and 2016 will focus on the issues of adaptation finance, needs for support to developing country Parties and cooperation on enhanced enabling environments and support for readiness activities in accordance with decision 3/CP.19, paragraph 12.
COP 21
COP 21, by decision 5/CP.21, made further specifications concerning the second biennial high-level ministerial dialogue on climate finance to be convened in accordance with decision 3/CP.19, including:
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A decision to focus the second biennial high-level ministerial dialogue on the issues of adaptation finance, needs for support to developing country Parties and cooperation on enhanced enabling environments and support for readiness activities
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A request to the Presidency of the COP, with the support of the secretariat, to prepare a summary of the second biennial high-level ministerial dialogue for consideration by COP 23.