Matters Relating to Non-Annex I National Communications

1

During the first two weeks of June, participants gathered in Bonn, Germany, to take partin meetings of the four bodies as part of the ongoing negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The meetings included the tenth session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention (AWG-LCA), the twelfth session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP), and the thirty-second sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies, namely the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA).

This edition contains update of the outcomes related to the Subsidiary Bodies only. A special edition containing the status of the negotiations under the two Ad Hoc Working Groups will be disseminated in November as a part of the NAI Newsletter.

SB 32

Matters relating to non-Annex I National Communications

Fouragenda sub-items were provisionally listed under national communications from Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention (nonAnnex I Parties), namely: 1) the work of the Consultative Group of Experts on national communications from Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention (CGE); 2) information contained in non-Annex I national communications; 3) further implementation of Article 12, paragraph 5, of the Convention;and 4) provision of financial and technical support. The agenda sub-item on information contained in non-Annex I national communications was held in abeyance and hence not considered at SB 32.

Work of the CGE

The SBI welcomed the reconstitution of the CGE and highlighted the importance of the work of the group in providing technical advice and support to non-Annex I Parties in improving the process of preparation of their national communications. The SBI commended the group for its work at its first meeting held in Bonn, Germany, in March 2010 and welcomed the progress report of the CGE[1] which includes the work programme of the group for 20102012.

The SBI invited the CGEto take into account, in implementing its work programme, the current and future needs of non-Annex I Parties and provisions under the Convention and the relevant decisions of the Conference of the Parties (COP).

NAI UPDATE

Issue No. 10 September 2010

CONTENTS

• SB 32

• Work of the CGE
• Further implementation of Article 12, paragraph 5, of the Convention
• Provision of financial and technical support
• Status of preparation and submission of SecondNational Communications from NAI Parties

• Fourth review of the financial mechanism
• Report of the GEF to the COP and Guidance to the GEF
• Review of the Adaptation Fund
• Matters relating to Least Developed Countries (LDCs)
• Capacity building under the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol
• Article 6 of the Convention
• Nairobi Work Programme on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change (NWP)
• Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest degradation in Developing Countries (REDD)
• Development and transfer of technologies

• CGE Survey

• Upcoming Events

The SBI also took note of the two surveys planned by the CGE to identify technical problems and constrains faced by nonAnnex I Parties in the process of preparation of their national communication; and to collect information on problems related to the sustainability of the national communication andin maintenance of national technical teams for preparation of national communications on a continuous basis and invited non-Annex I Parties to provide the CGE with response to the surveys on timely manner. These surveys are being conducted at the moment and responses received will be discussed during the second meeting of the CGE scheduled to be held in Manila, Philippines, from 2729 September 2010.

For full text of the draft conclusion pleasesee:

Further implementation of Article 12, paragraph 5, of the Convention

Deliberations under this agenda sub-item on frequency of submission of non-Annex I national communications, were inconclusive. The SBI will continue the consideration of this agenda sub-item at its thirty-third session.

Provision of Financial and Technical Support

Under this agenda sub-itemon financial and technical support for the preparation of nonAnnex Inational communications, information provided by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) on support provided for preparation of non-Annex Inational communications was used as a basis for the deliberations[2].

In addition to regular reporting of information on provision of support for preparation of non-Annex I national communications, SBI invited the GEF to provide information, for consideration of the COP at its sixteenth session, on the outcomes of the most recent GEF assembly[3]related to the national communications from nonAnnex I Parties, including information on the implications of the System for Transparent Allocation of Resources (STAR) on the funding of non-Annex I national communications. The GEF was also invited to provide information on the modalities and procedures it has established to ensure that financial resources are provided, to meet the agreed full costs incurred by non-Annex I Parties in preparation of their national communications.

The SBI invited the GEF to include in its report, to the COP at its sixteenth session, information on projects submitted or approved for funding, as per request from the COP at its thirteenth and fourteenth sessions to the GEF to assist non–Annex I Parties in formulating and developing project proposals identified in their national communications. The GEF was also invited to report on the specific steps it has taken to respond to the concerns raised by some nonAnnex I Parties about the way the GEF implementing agencies are disbursing funds for national communications.

The SBI encouraged the GEF to continue to ensure, as a top priority, that sufficient financial resources are provided to meet the agreed full costs incurred by non-Annex I Parties in complying with their obligations under Article 12, paragraph 1, of the Convention, and for the preparation of third and, where appropriate, subsequent national communications.

The SBI encouraged non-Annex I Parties to submit proposals for the funding of their subsequent national communications before completion of their current national communications in order to ensure continuity of financing, stressing the importance of the maintenance of the national technical teams for the preparation of national communications

The full text of the conclusions is available at:

Status of preparation and submission ofnon-Annex I National Communications

With submission of Malta’s second national communication in July 2010, the total number of second national communications (SNC) submitted by non-Annex I Parties has reached twenty-six. In addition, 94 other nonAnnex I Parties are currently preparing their SNC, with 86 of them expected to complete their draft by the end of 2010, and 14 others by the end of 2011.

For more information on the national communications from non-Annex IParties submitted to date,please see:

GHG inventory software for non-Annex I Parties

A presentation of the next version of the UNFCCC GHG inventory software for non-Annex I Parties was given during the AWG session in Bonn on 2 August 2010. For more informationplease see:

A fully functional prototype will be made available to Parties for testing and provision of feedback towards the end of September 2010.

For more information please contact

Other matters relating to non-Annex I Parties

Fourth review of the Financial Mechanism

The fourth review of the financial mechanism aims to assess the funding necessary to assist developing countries in fulfilling their commitments under the Convention. The review will be completed at COP 16, in Cancun, Mexico, in December 2010.

The SBI 32 noted the implementation of its request made during an earlier session (SBI 28), when it had requested the secretariat to provide information on the assessment of financing needs of non-Annex I Parties to implement mitigation and adaptation measures. These assessments were carried out through the National, Economic, Environment and Development Studies (NEEDS) for Climate Change initiative and will help inform the fourth review of the financial mechanism. Eleven non-Annex I Parties participated in this initiative, which was supported by the Governments of Norway, the United States and Spain. The SBI requested the secretariat to compile and synthesize the information contained in the NEEDS reports of those eleven countries for consideration of the SBI at its thirty-third session, in Cancun, in December 2010.

Parties engaged in in-depth discussions on a draft decision that will be recommended for adoption by COP 16. .

The full text of the draftconclusions is available at:

Report of the GEF to the COP and guidance to the GEF

The SBI decided to continue its consideration of the report of the GEF and develop guidance from COP to the GEF at its next session in Cancun, Mexico. The SBI intends to recommend a draft decision for adoption by the COP at its sixteenth session. The guidance to the GEF will be based on the 2010 report of the GEF in addition to previously submitted documents by the GEF and other related inputs.

The SBI invited Parties to submit to the secretariat, by 20September 2010, their views on elements to be taken into account in developing guidance to the GEF.

For the full text of the conclusions, please see:

Review of the Adaptation Fund

The review of all matters related to the Adaptation Fund, including institutional arrangements, is to take place every three years. The purpose of the review is to ensure effectiveness and adequacy of the Adaptation Fund.

At its thirty-second session, theSBIconsidered this item but was unable to agree on the terms of reference for the review of the Adaptation Fund. It noted that the Adaptation Fund has only recently become fully operational and that the existing timelines do not guarantee timely availability of relevant inputs for the preparation of a thorough review of the Adaptation Fund. In light of this, it recommended that Conference of the Parties Meeting as a Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP), at its sixth session, in Cancunadopt a terms of reference and initiate the review. The SBI recommended that the review be undertaken at CMP 7 in December 2011.

The SBI also pointed out that at CMP 6 it would also be important to consider the interim arrangements with the Trustee of the Adaptation Fund, to ensure that any project activities already funded and in the process of being implemented are not jeopardized.

For the full text of the draft conclusion, please see:

Matters relating to LDCs

Under this agenda item, the SBI welcomed the submission of 44 national adaptation programmes of action (NAPA) as at 28 May 2010. The SBI commended the Least Developed Countries Expert Group (LEG) for its work, and welcomed the LEG training workshops on NAPA implementation that are taking place at the regional level. The LEG has thus far, conducted workshops in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in October 2009 for Anglophone LDCs in Africa; in Bamako, Mali in February 2010 for Francophone LDCs; and in Vientiane, LaoPeoplesRepublic in May 2010 for Asian LDCs. A workshop for Lusophone LDCs is taking place from 4 to 8 September 2010 in Sao Tome. The remaining workshop for LDCs in the Pacific, will take place by the end of 2010.

Under its activities for 2008-2010, the LEG is conducting training workshops for implementing NAPAs as a priority activity. The training workshops aim at strengthening the capacity of experts from LDC Parties to design and implement NAPA projects effectively.

The SBI also encouraged those LDCs that wish to submit updates to their NAPAs and revisions to project lists and profiles to use guidelines prepared by the LEG contained in Annex I of the document FCCC/SBI/2009/13.

To inform discussions on support to be provided to LDCs to effect updates and revisions to the NAPAs, the SBI invited the LEG to provide information on resources that would be required for the revisions and updates, as part of the LEG work programme for 2010. This information will be presented in the LEG report to the SBI at the thirty-third session.

The eighteenth meeting of the LEG is scheduled to take place in Kathmandu, Nepal, from 12 to 15 October 2010.

For more information on LDC issues please see the LDC Portal at

Capacity building under the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol

At SBI 32, Partiescontinued the deliberations on second comprehensive review of the implementation of the framework for capacity-building in developing countries as contained in the annex to decision 2/CP.7. Due to time constraints, Parties did not succeed in finalizing draft decision texts on the outcome of this review. Negotiations will continue at SBI 33, with a view to recommending draft decisions for adoption by COP 16 and CMP 6, respectively.

For the full text of the conclusions please see: and

For more information on issues related to capacity-building under the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol please see:

Article 6 of the Convention

Under this agenda item, which relates to education, training and public awareness, Parties concluded with agreement on a draft conclusion and terms of reference for conducting the intermediate review of the amended New Delhi work programme on Article 6 of the Convention. The SBI invited Parties, relevant intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), as well as relevant stakeholders, to submit to the secretariat information and views that may be relevant to the completion of the intermediate review, including information on best practices and lessons learned and on remaining barriers to the effective implementation of Article 6 of the Convention.

The SBI requested the secretariat to prepare the following documents to support the intermediate review, for consideration by the SBI at its thirty-third session:

• A report on essential needs for, potential gaps in, barriers to, and progress in the implementation of the amended New Delhi work programme;
• A report on the full-scale implementation of CC:iNet;
• A miscellaneous document containing the submissions from Parties, and relevant IGOs, NGOs and stakeholders.

For the full text of the conclusions and terms of reference for the intermediate review of progress in the implementation of the amended New Delhi work programme on Article 6 of the Convention please see:

For more information on issues related to Article 6 of the Convention please see:

Nairobi Work Programme on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation (NWP)

Over the past year, the implementation of the NWP has been in full swing. A large number of activities were carried out. These include three technical workshops on advancing the integration of approaches to adaptation planning, collaboration among regional centres and networks, and costs and benefits of adaptation options, respectively. Details on these workshops including presentations and reports can be found at Issues discussed at these workshops are highly relevant to NAI Parties, particularly the provision, dissemination and application of data, methods and tools for impacts and vulnerability assessments, as well as adaptation planning. In addition, it was highlighted at the workshop on the integration of approaches to adaptation planning that, amongst other things, the national communications process can play a significant catalytical role in facilitating the integration of climate change concern into national development and sectoral planning processes (see the workshop report FCCC/SBSTA/2010/2).

NWP has launched two new publications: Action Pledges: Making a difference on the Ground:an synthesis of outcomes, good practices, lessons learned, and future challenges and opportunities; and Adaptation Assessments, Planning and Practice: an overview from the Nairobi Work Programme on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change. These and other NWP publications are available online at

Further, the UNFCCC compendium on methods and tools to evaluate impacts of, vulnerability and adaptation to, climate change, has been updated and made available in a more user-friendly online format. It is available at

REDD

The negotiations on “Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries” (REDD) are an ongoing process since it was introduced as an item into the agenda of the COP at its eleventh session, in December 2005.

At the thirty-second session of the SBs in June, 2010, the SBSTA took note of theoral reports by its Chair on:

• Ways of facilitating the coordination of the activities relating to decision 2/CP.13 - “Reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries: approaches to stimulate action”,
• The outcomes of the informal meeting of experts on enhancing coordination of capacity-building activities in relation to using the most recent IPCC guidance and guidelines, as a basis for estimating anthropogenic forest-related greenhouse gas emissions by sources and removals by sinks, forest carbon stocks and forest area changes, which was held in Bonn, Germany, on 25 and 26 May 2010[4].

The SBSTA, taking into consideration the outcomes and recommendations resulting from the informal meeting of experts, requested the secretariat to:

• Increase the number of experts trained in the use of the IPCC guidance and guidelines by organizing and facilitating activities such as training of trainers workshops, and to work with IPCC on promoting the use of the IPCC Emission Factor Database, and report on progress on these to the SBSTA at its thirty-fourth session;
• Enhance sharing of information, experiences and lessons learned on the use of the IPCC guidance and guidelines on the UNFCCC website through an interactive discussion forum to be set up on the web platform and encouraged Parties, relevant organizations and stakeholders to continue sharing information on activities relating to decisions 2/CP.13 and 4/CP.15 via the web platform.

For full text of the draft conclusion see:

Development and transfer of Technologies

The SBSTA and the SBI at their thirty-second sessions endorsed the updated programme of work of the EGTT for 2010-2011. They further requested the EGTT to elaborate upon options for the operational modalities of the proposed Technology Mechanism. The SBSTA further endorsed the terms of reference for a report by the EGTT on options to facilitate collaborative technology research and development to be considered at SBSTA 33. The SBI further invited the GEF to provide half-yearly progress reports on the implementation of the activities receiving support under the Poznan strategic programme on technology transfer, which could be posted on TT:CLEAR.