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Leila Mead
Thematic Expert for Climate Change and Sustainable Energy (US)
8 November 2017
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APA Begins Work at UN Conference on Climate Change: 7 November Highlights
Photo by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth
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In the APA, groups of countries and observer organizations made statements, commenting on the way to proceed with the work of the APA, and what the APA-related outcomes of COP 23 should be.
During the COP plenary, Ambassador Nazhat Shameem Khan (Fiji) highlighted features of the Talanoa Dialogue, including that it: is a constructive, facilitative and solutions-oriented dialogue; avoids confrontation; builds empathy; and fosters stability and inclusiveness by creating a safe space.
In SBSTA informal consultations on agriculture, participants discussed the need for concrete outputs linked to implementation, and the possibility of a Secretariat mapping exercise to provide information on agriculture work already undertaken by other Convention bodies.
7 November 2017: The UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany, continued on 7 November 2017. The fourth part of the first session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA 1-4) met in plenary, followed by a contact group and informal consultations. The Conference of the Parties (COP) and the COP Serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP) resumed their plenaries, and contact groups and informal consultations convened under the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA).
In the APA, Sarah Baashan (Saudi Arabia) and Jo Tyndall (New Zealand) were elected Co-Chairs for a second, consecutive one-year term. Regarding the organization of work, Co-Chair Baashan explained that: the contact group will meet at least three times; informal consultations will take up technical work; and the APA Co-Chairs will coordinate daily with the co-facilitators and regularly with the Subsidiary Body (SB) Chairs to ensure coherence and consistency. She encouraged Parties to keep the informal consultations open to observers. She also called on Parties to reach an understanding on all items on: scope, including “skeleton” outlines; content, including narrative, bullets and/or options; and placeholders to take into account linkages to work undertaken elsewhere.
Countries and observer organizations then made statements, commenting on the way to proceed with the work of the APA, and what the APA-related outcomes of COP 23 should be. Syria signaled its intent to ratify the Paris Agreement.
During the COP plenary, COP 23 President Frank Bainimarama invited interested parties from the LAC and WEOG groups to present offers to host the COPs in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
The APA contact group then met. Some developing countries said identifying modalities for communicating information on the provision of public financial resources to developing countries is a “homeless issue” that is lacking progress, and called for allocating time and two co-facilitators for this issue. The issue was subsequently taken up during the informal consultations. Informal consultations also convened on inter alia: the implementation and compliance committee; and the Adaptation Fund, with several developing countries stating that an outcome at this COP should stipulate that the Adaptation Fund shall serve the Paris Agreement, and modalities should be developed in a timeframe to be discussed.
Poland, incoming COP 24 Presidency, provided an update on preparations for COP 24, to be held in Katowice, Poland. Bainimarama invited interested parties from Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and Western Europe and Others groups (WEOG) to present offers to host the COPs in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
The COP also discussed preparation for implementation of the Paris Agreement and the first session of the COP serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA). Ambassador Nazhat Shameem Khan (Fiji) highlighted features of the Talanoa Dialogue, including that it: is a constructive, facilitative and solutions-oriented dialogue; avoids confrontation; builds empathy; and fosters stability and inclusiveness by creating a safe space. The COP also considered various other agenda items, and several contact groups were established.
During the CMP plenary, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Executive Board reported that, despite lower demand, there has been a “healthy increase” in issuance. The Adaptation Fund Board (AFB) reported that the Fund: has never been more in demand; is delivering effectively on its mandate; is already facilitating the implementation of the Paris Agreement; and received US$81.4 million in contributions in the past year. Contact groups were established on these and other issues.
During the SBSTA contact group on matters relating to Paris Agreement Article 6 (cooperative approaches), Parties discussed, inter alia, an informal note on Article 6.2 on internationally transferred mitigation outcomes (ITMOs). Parties suggested additional headings, including: adaptation ambition; scope; negative social and economic impacts; governance/institutions; sustainable development; environmental integrity; and restrictive practices in purchasing of ITMOs.
In SBSTA informal consultations on agriculture, participants discussed the need for concrete outputs linked to implementation, and the possibility of a Secretariat mapping exercise to provide information on agriculture work already undertaken by other Convention bodies.
During SBI informal consultations on the report of the Adaptation Committee (AC), Parties discussed two recommendations made by the Committee, namely, review of adaptation-related institutional arrangements and methodologies for assessing adaptation needs. Several countries noted, inter alia, that the report’s recommendations are “politically charged.” During informal consultations on the third review of the Adaptation Fund, one developing country argued that the review cannot be discussed without considering the wider context related to developing country commitments to tackle adaptation in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and climate science.
During joint SBSTA/SBI consultations on the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage associated with Climate Change Impacts (WIM), developing countries proposed that a decision on this item address, inter alia, the WIM becoming a permanent agenda item of the SBs, and including the WIM in the Secretariat’s core budget. Developed countries highlighted, inter alia, that: budget issues belong in the budget consultations; and a WIM standing item might inhibit progress by the WIM Executive Committee (ExCom). [Fiji/Bonn Highlights: Tuesday, 7 November 2017] [IISD RS Coverage of COP 23]
* * *
IISD Reporting Services is producing the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB), providing coverage of the negotiations. This Daily Update brings you the highlights.
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