Published by the International
Institute for Sustainable Development
(IISD)
Vol. 12 No. 99
Monday,
31 May 1999
THE TENTH SESSIONS OF THE FCCC SUBSIDIARY BODIES
31 MAY – 11 JUNE 1999
The tenth sessions of the subsidiary bodies of the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) will meet
from 31 May –11 June 1999 in Bonn, Germany. The Subsidiary Body
for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) will consider,
inter alia, technology transfer, land use change and forestry
and FCCC Article 6 (education, training and public awareness).
SBI will discuss, inter alia, national communications and FCCC
Articles 4.8 and 4.9 (adverse effects). SBSTA and SBI will
jointly consider the mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol and
activities implemented jointly under the pilot phase. A joint
working group is expected to consider procedures and mechanisms
relating to compliance under the Protocol.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE FCCC AND THE KYOTO PROTOCOL
The FCCC was adopted on 9 May 1992, and was opened for
signature at the UN Conference on Environment and Development in
June 1992. The Convention entered into force on 21 March 1994,
90 days after receipt of the 50th ratification. It has been
ratified by 176 countries.
COP-1: The first meeting of the Conference of the Parties to
the FCCC (COP-1) took place in Berlin from 28 March - 7 April
1995. In addition to addressing a number of important issues
related to the future of the Convention, delegates reached
agreement on what many believed to be the central issue before
COP-1 — adequacy of commitments, the "Berlin Mandate." The
result was to establish an open-ended Ad Hoc Group on the Berlin
Mandate (AGBM) to begin a process toward appropriate action for
the period beyond 2000, including the strengthening of the
commitments of Annex I Parties through the adoption of a
protocol or another legal instrument.
COP-1 also requested the Secretariat to make arrangements for
sessions of SBSTA and SBI. SBSTA would serve as the link between
the information provided by competent international bodies, and
the policy-oriented needs of the COP. During the AGBM process,
SBSTA addressed several issues, including the treatment of the
IPCC's Second Assessment Report (SAR). SBI was created to
develop recommendations to assist the COP in the review and
assessment of the implementation of the Convention and in the
preparation and implementation of its decisions. SBI also
addressed several key issues during the AGBM process, such as
the national communications and activities implemented jointly
(AIJ).
The Ad Hoc Group on Article 13 (AG13) was set up to consider
the establishment of a multilateral consultative process (MCP)
available to Parties to resolve questions on implementation.
AG13-1, held from 30-31 October 1995 in Geneva, decided to
request Parties, non-Parties, and intergovernmental and non-
governmental organizations to make written submissions in
response to a questionnaire on an MCP. Delegates continued their
discussion over the course of the next three meetings. At their
fifth session, they agreed that the MCP should be advisory
rather than supervisory in nature and AG13 should complete its
work by COP-4.
AD HOC GROUP ON THE BERLIN MANDATE: The AGBM met eight times
between August 1995 and COP-3 in December 1997. During the first
three sessions, delegates focused on analyzing and assessing
possible policies and measures to strengthen the commitments of
Annex I Parties, how Annex I countries might distribute or share
new commitments and whether commitments should take the form of
an amendment or protocol. AGBM-4, which coincided with COP-2 in
Geneva in July 1996, completed its in-depth analysis of the
likely elements of a protocol and States appeared ready to
prepare a negotiating text. At AGBM-5, which met in December
1996, delegates recognized the need to decide whether or not to
allow mechanisms that would provide Annex I Parties with
flexibility in meeting quantified emissions limitation and
reduction objectives (QELROs).
As the protocol was drafted during the sixth and seventh
sessions of the AGBM, in March and August 1997, respectively,
delegates "streamlined" a framework compilation text by merging
or eliminating some overlapping provisions within the myriad of
proposals. Much of the discussion centered on a proposal from
the EU for a 15% cut in a "basket" of three greenhouse gases
(GHGs) by the year 2010 compared to 1990 levels. In October
1997, as AGBM- 8 began, US President Bill Clinton included a
call for "meaningful participation" by developing countries in
the negotiating position he announced in Washington. With those
words, the debates that shaped agreement back in 1995
resurfaced, with an insistence on G-77/China involvement once
again linked to the level of ambition acceptable by the US. In
response, the G-77/China distanced itself from attempts to draw
developing countries into agreeing to anything that could be
interpreted as new commitments.
COP-3: The Third Conference of the Parties (COP-3) was held
from 1-11 December 1997 in Kyoto, Japan. Over 10,000
participants, including representatives from governments,
intergovernmental organizations, NGOs and the media, attended
the Conference, which included a high-level segment featuring
statements from over 125 ministers. Following a week and a half
of intense formal and informal negotiations, including a session
that began on the final evening and lasted into the following
day, Parties to the FCCC adopted the Kyoto Protocol on 11
December. In the Kyoto Protocol, Annex I Parties to the FCCC
agreed to commitments to reduce their overall emissions of six
GHGs by at least 5% below 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012. The
Protocol also established emissions trading, "joint
implementation" (JI) between developed countries, and a "clean
development mechanism" (CDM) to encourage joint emissions
reduction projects between developed and developing countries.
As of 15 March 1999, 84 countries had signed the Kyoto Protocol.
POST-KYOTO FCCC MEETINGS: The subsidiary bodies of the FCCC
met from 2-12 June 1998 in Bonn, Germany. SBSTA-8 agreed to
draft conclusions on, inter alia, cooperation with relevant
international organizations, methodological issues, and
education and training. SBI-8 reached conclusions on, inter
alia, national communications, the financial mechanism and the
second review of adequacy of Annex I Party commitments. In its
sixth session, AG13 concluded its work on the MCP’s functions.
After joint SBI/SBSTA consideration and extensive contact group
debates on the flexibility mechanisms, delegates could only
agree to a compilation document containing proposals from the G-
77/China, the EU and the US on the issues for discussion and
frameworks for implementation.
COP-4: The Fourth Conference of the Parties (COP-4) was held
from 2-13 November 1998 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and was
attended by over 5,000 participants. During the two-week
meeting, delegates deliberated decisions for the COP during SBI-
9 and SBSTA-9. Issues related to the Kyoto Protocol were
considered in joint SBI/SBSTA sessions. A high-level segment,
which heard statements from over 100 ministers and heads of
delegation, was convened on Thursday, 12 November. Following
hours of high-level “closed door” negotiations and a final
plenary session that concluded early Saturday morning, delegates
adopted the Buenos Aires Plan of Action. Under the Plan of
Action, the Parties declared their determination to strengthen
the implementation of the Convention and prepare for the future
entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol. The Plan contains the
Parties’ resolution to demonstrate substantial progress on: the
financial mechanism; the development and transfer of technology;
the implementation of FCCC Articles 4.8 and 4.9, as well as
Protocol Articles 2.3 and 3.14; activities implemented jointly
(AIJ); the mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol; and the
preparations for the first meeting of the Parties (COP/MOP-1).
RECENT MEETINGS
IEA WORKSHOP ON POLICIES AND MEASURES: The International
Energy Agency (IEA) held an international workshop from 15-16
April 1999 in Paris to exchange the experiences of Member
countries in the design and implementation of policies and
measures aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from energy.
The workshop’s key messages include:
while policy responses may differ based on national
circumstances, the challenges remain the same across countries,
in particular in the energy sector. Countries can benefit from
information exchange on policies and measures;
the gap between the present situation and Kyoto
objectives requires new domestic policies and measures in the
energy sector to achieve the agreed emissions reduction goals;
the distinction between economic instruments and
regulatory approaches is artificial. Both types of policies are
needed;
the implementation of economic instruments such as taxes
requires accompanying measures to account for social and
competitiveness concerns; and,
CO2 emissions from transport are growing rapidly and few
policies seem to have had significant impacts on this trend so
far. Policies to reduce emissions from transport should aim at
changing behavior as well as changing technology.
For more information contact: IEA; e-mail: info@iea.org;
Internet: http://www.iea.org/workshop/p&magend.htm.
TECHNICAL WORKSHOP ON MECHANISMS UNDER ARTICLES 6, 12 AND 17
OF THE KYOTO PROTOCOL: The FCCC Technical Workshop on Mechanisms
under Articles 6, 12 and 17 of the Kyoto Protocol was held from
9-15 April 1999 at La Redoute in Bonn-Bad Godesberg, Germany.
The workshop was designed to advance the discussion on
technological and methodological aspects of Article 6 (JI),
Article 12 (CDM) and Article 17 (emissions trading) so that the
Conference of the Parties can take decisions on all three
mechanisms at its sixth session. The workshop was attended by
approximately 100 invited participants, including experts from
Parties and representatives from governments, UN agencies, and
intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. Core
topics at the workshop included reference case/baseline
methodologies, additionality, verification and reporting in
relation to the CDM and Article 6 (JI) projects. Further issues
addressed included the validation and funding of projects under
the CDM and the adaptation component, and reporting,
verification and accountability issues related to emissions
trading. Participants also exchanged views on capacity building
for developing country Parties. The ENB report is available at:
http://www.iisd.ca/climate/techwork/
INTER-AGENCY TASK FORCE ON ENERGY: The Inter-Agency Committee
on Sustainable Development (IACSD), in September 1998, decided
to establish an Ad Hoc Inter-Agency Task Force on Energy with a
view to ensuring a collaborative contribution of UN
organizations to the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)
process on energy and sustainable development. The first meeting
of the Task Force took place on 8 April 1999 in New York. The
Task Force agreed that activities to be undertaken should be
complementary and mutually supportive and that duplication of
work, such as that undertaken by the FCCC, should be avoided.
Task Force members reviewed activities currently underway and/or
planned by them in preparation for the ninth session of the CSD
(CSD-9). To enhance coordination and promote synergies among
these activities, they decided to establish an electronic
network and agreed to provide updated information on ongoing and
envisioned work so that a matrix of UN activities geared towards
CSD-9 could be established. The Task Force will meet again in
September/October 1999 to follow-up on preparations for CSD-9.
For more information contact: Kyaw Kyaw Shane; e-mail:
shane@un.org
THINGS TO LOOK FOR
INFORMAL CONSULTATIONS: Informal consultations on Agenda Item
10 (compliance under the Protocol) will be held from 9:30 am to
12:00 pm.
BRIEFING ON THE TECHNICAL WORKSHOPS: The Chairs of the
technical workshops on the Protocol mechanisms will hold a
briefing from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm.
SBSTA: SBSTA is scheduled to meet at 3:00 pm.
SBI: SBI is scheduled to meet at 4:00 pm.
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