The UN Climate Change Secretariat has published the results of a comprehensive review and compliance assessment of the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.

The publication comes four months after the conclusion of the historic universal climate change agreement in Paris and constitutes another signal that countries are ready to move to ambitious and measurable greenhouse gas reductions by making full use of monitoring, reporting and verification provided by the UN.

The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 1997 and came into force in 2005 as the world’s first emissions reduction treaty. It includes quantified emission limitation and reduction targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European Community.

The first commitment period covers reporting from these countries on their GHG emissions and removals for the years 2008-2012.

The accounting period known as the “true-up period” of the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol ended on 18 November.

Developed country Parties with quantified emission limitation and reduction targets in the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol had until then to mitigate and adjust any gaps in their greenhouse gas emissions targets. They could acquire or transfer emission reduction units, certified emission reductions, assigned amount units and removal units valid for the first commitment period.

After 18 November, the results of the "true-up" period were officially reported by each Party and then extensively verified and reviewed by international expert review teams during a centralized review that took place in Bonn in February 2016 of this year, coordinated by the UN Climate Change Secretariat.

The true-up period review reports for all the 37 Parties are available on the UNFCC website.

The international expert review teams concluded for 36 of 37 Parties reviewed that:

• the information submitted covers all elements required;
• the Party's aggregate greenhouse gas emissions in the first commitment period do not exceed the quantity of Kyoto Protocol units valid for the commitment period in the retirement account;
• the requested amounts of assigned amount units, certified emission reductions and emission reduction units to be carried over to the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol are consistent with the requirements;
• no questions of implementation are raised.

The true-up period review reports will be followed by a final compilation and accounting report for each of those Parties which will be considered at the UN Climate Change Conference in Marrakech in November of this year. This will constitute the end of all reporting, review and accounting processes for the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.