8 April 2016: This Implementation Update report summarizes activities by UNFCCC Parties related to the fulfillment of their commitments, especially following the adoption in 2015 of the Paris Agreement and in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Recent news includes actions taken by the UNFCCC Secretariat to support implementation, announcements by Parties of their intention to sign or ratify the Paris Agreement, and efforts by Canada, the US and Thailand aimed at accelerating climate action.

Support for Implementation

The UNFCCC Secretariat has been busy supporting the shift toward implementation after the 2015 “year of decisions.” The Secretariat unveiled a new look for the UNFCCC Newsroom that includes a Paris Agreement section, allowing users to focus on updates and issues related to the Agreement.

The Secretariat has also released guides for understanding the Paris Agreement, its associated decision and its entry into force. A document titled ‘Taking the Paris Agreement Forward: Tasks Arising from Decision 1/CP.21’ breaks down the activities required in the decision, clearly denoting the timeline and actor responsible for executing them in a comprehensive chart. An information note from the UNFCCC Legal Affairs Programme describes in detail the steps for ‘Entry into Force of the Paris Agreement: Legal Requirements and Implications.’

In addition, the Secretariat and Japan’s Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), through their Regional Collaboration Center (RCC) for Asia and the Pacific, supported a conference on ‘How to Accelerate Climate Actions in Asia through Capacity Building and Climate Finance’ in partnership with the Climate Change International Technical and Training Center, Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 31 March – 1 April, the conference informed participants on ways to access climate finance, including through domestic, international and multilateral sources. According to the UNFCCC press release, the conference also highlighted the links between climate change and the SDGs. The 150 policymakers, public sector officials, climate specialists and private sector representatives gathered at the conference sought ways to increase know-how and finance in Asia to enable the implementation of the Paris Agreement. [UNFCCC Press Release – Newsroom] [UNFCCC Document on Tasks from Decision 1/CP.21] [UNFCCC Information Note on Entry into Force] [UNFCCC Press Release – Capacity Building and Climate Finance Conference]

BASIC, G20 to Sign Paris Agreement

Brazil and South Africa have joined China and India in officially announcing that they will be among the countries participating in a high-level signing ceremony for the Paris Agreement being hosted UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 22 April. The four countries, known together as the “BASIC” group of countries, issued a joint statement at the conclusion of their ministerial meeting held in New Delhi, India, on 6-7 April. The statement also indicates the four countries’ willingness to start domestic steps for ratification or acceptance of the Agreement and urges other countries to do so as well.

The UN is expecting more than 130 countries, including approximately 60 world leaders, to attend the signing ceremony, which would surpass the record set in 1982 when 119 signatures were garnered on the opening day for signing the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The Group of Twenty (G20), representing 20 major economies, has also released a statement expressing its full support for the signing of the Paris Agreement. The statement, released after a G20 Sherpa meeting convened in Guangzhou, China, on 6-8 April, informs of the members’ intent to promote the implementation of the Paris Agreement, including by signing on 22 April or thereafter, “taking into account our respective domestic steps to join the Agreement with a view to bringing the Paris Agreement into force as soon as possible.” [BASIC Joint Statement] [UNFCCC Press Release – Signing Ceremony] [UN Press Release] [G20 Presidency Statement on Climate Change] [UN Press Release] [UN Secretary-General’s Statement]

Island States Take Domestic Action to Ratify Paris Agreement

Fiji, Palau, the Marshall Islands and Maldives have already taken steps to prepare for the ratification of the Paris Agreement, even before it is open for signature. All four countries are members of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS). As the current Chair of AOSIS, Maldives Minister of Environment and Energy Thoriq Ibrahim noted the urgency of addressing climate change and highlighted that it is some of the most vulnerable countries that have become the first to approve the Paris Agreement’s ratification. He expressed the hope that “the rest of the world follows our example and, even more importantly, moves expeditiously to implement climate solutions.” [AOSIS Press Release]

EU Prepares Next Steps for Paris Agreement

The European Commission released an assessment of the implications of the Paris Agreement for the EU, including a recommendation that the Agreement be signed and ratified as soon as possible. A proposed Council decision on the signing of the Paris Agreement on behalf of the EU was also issued. In addition, the assessment urges fast-tracking legislation in the European Parliament to implement the 2030 climate and energy framework that was agreed by the EU Council in 2014. [European Commission Press Release] [The Road from Paris: Assessing the Implications of the Paris Agreement and Accompanying the Proposal for a Council Decision on the Signing, on Behalf of the EU, of the Paris Agreement Adopted under the UNFCCC]

US, Canada Deepen Climate Partnership

Just a month after Canada and the US agreed to closer cooperation on climate, the Arctic and energy, especially methane emissions, the two countries met again in Ottawa, Canada, to build on the momentum. According to a statement released by Canadian Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna and US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy, the meeting, held on 7 April, focused on ways to “move forward to implement the methane emission reduction measures…and how we can deepen our coordination and work more closely with Mexico to achieve greater North American collaboration on energy and the environment.” [US Embassy in Canada Press Release] [IISD RS Story on Canada-US Partnership]

Thailand Joins Partnership for Market Readiness; Plans Emissions Reductions

The Government of Thailand has announced it will become a member of the World Bank’s Partnership for Market Readiness (PMR). As part of the alliance, Thailand will be eligible for grant-based support and technical assistance for trying innovative market-based instruments that price carbon to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. [World Bank Press Release]