Regional training for Clean Development Mechanism Designated National Authorities and other stakeholders

Climate officials from five countries learned the finer points of the Clean Development Mechanism, the Paris Climate Change Agreement and evolving climate action worldwide in a training organized by the Regional Collaboration Centre (RCC) Bangkok and Pakistan’s Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC) on 21-22 August in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad.

This workshop allowed RCC Bangkok to reach new clients, including from Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Iran and the Maldives, together with more than 70 participants from Pakistan federal ministries, provincial governments, the corporate sector (fertilizer, automobile, oil and gas, waste), national universities, and research centers.

“There’s still strong interest in the Clean Development Mechanism, and a huge desire to explore how CDM can fit into broader national and international action under the Paris Agreement,” said Jens Radschinski, Team Lead RCC Bangkok. 

For example, MoCC Secretary Syed Abu Ahmed Akif, proposed that Pakistan and RCC Bangkok work together on two standardized baselines, for the waste sector and a grid emission factor. A follow-up meeting has already been held in Bangkok. Such baseline calculations provide clarity on emissions from a sector and clarity on the results of efforts to reduce those emissions. 

“These baselines are an important step for Pakistan and reflect the country’s commitment to address climate change as a national project,” said Jens. “These baselines could facilitate initiation and operationalization of green projects in Pakistan, and contribute to global mitigation efforts.” 

In fact, all countries represented at the workshop expressed interest in developing standardized baselines, for a variety of sectors, which they identified during a workshop session on achieving targets under Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

In his opening remarks, MoCC Minister Mushahid Ullah Khan praised the work of the Regional Collaboration Centre (RCC) in Bangkok, “for their sincere efforts in supporting Pakistan and other regional countries to benefit from opportunities in the carbon market and supporting through building capacity, lending technical assistance and helping in promoting activities in Pakistan.” 

In addition to capacity-building for the CDM designated national authorities represented at the workshop, stakeholders were briefed on how they could continue to access opportunities in the CDM. The status of demand for CDM Certified Emission Reductions was another major topic of discussion, with participants expressing interest in Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and its potential implications and opportunities for the CDM. 

The workshop also delivered an update on progress made in the international negotiations on the Paris Rulebook.

If you would like more information about the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) or Standardized Baselines, please contact Saudamini Bagai <<a href="mailto:Sbagai@unfccc.int">Sbagai@unfccc.int> at RCC Bangkok.