October 2017: The UNFCCC Secretariat has issued a summary report from an informal meeting for the Heads of delegation of the Parties to the UNFCCC, held in preparation for the 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 23) to the UNFCCC. COP 23 will take place in Bonn, Germany, from 6-17 November 2017.

The informal meeting, convened in Rabat, Morocco, from 7-8 September 2017, sought to discuss the expectations for COP 23 and beyond in an informal setting.

Participants recognized the need to ensure continued and enhanced coordination among the various processes and constituted bodies involved in delivering elements of the Paris Agreement implementation guidelines.

The report summarizes the discussions on implementation guidelines for the Paris Agreement on climate change, the Global Climate Action Agenda, means of implementation, the UNFCCC budget work programme and the 2018 Facilitative Dialogue.

On the Paris Agreement implementation guidelines, many participants recognized the need to deliver a coherent package of decisions across all issues, and ensure continued and enhanced coordination among the various processes and constituted bodies involved in delivering elements of the guidelines.

On the Global Climate Action Agenda, participants highlighted, inter alia, the importance of involving non-state actors in implementation of climate action, seeking their inputs to the 2018 Facilitative Dialogue, and widening climate engagement by reaching out to the general public.

On means of implementation, participants considered, among other issues: possible guidance to the Financial Mechanism to make finance flow faster to developing countries; ways to trigger more finance for adaptation; and the future of the Adaptation Fund.

Organized jointly by the Moroccan COP 22 Presidency and the incoming Fijian COP 23 Presidency, the informal meeting brought together more than 40 Heads of delegation, as well as officials from the UNFCCC Secretariat, including UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa, Chairs of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA), and the Co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA). [Informal Meeting for the Heads of Delegations of the Parties to the UNFCCC: Summary Report]