2 June 2014: The Bonn Climate Change Conference will begin with two high-level ministerial sessions on: implementation of the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol; and political aspects of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP), including the nature of nationally determined contributions for the 2015 agreement and the necessary level of ambition before 2020. Ministers will also consider the recently published reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

During the two-week session, which will convene from 4-15 June, the fifth meeting of the second session of the ADP will also convene, as will the 40th sessions of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI). During the ADP, negotiators will continue designing the 2015 agreement and discussing ways to raise global ambition to address climate change prior to 2020, when a new agreement is expected to enter into force. The ADP is expected to begin developing a draft text of the 2015 agreement, including its elements and structure.

In addition, the ADP will consider policies and actions to reduce or limit emissions and adapt to existing climate impacts. In this regard, technical expert meetings will convene to focus on the potential of cities and urban environments, as well as on land use, including forests and agriculture. In addition, an ADP forum on experiences and best practices of cities and subnational authorities will examine climate policies that have transformed cities from significant global sources of emissions towards “innovative centers of solutions to climate change.”

The opening UNFCCC press conference will include participation of ministers from small island developing States (SIDS) on 5 June, which is also World Environment Day, and will profile key findings of the latest UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report on SIDS. COP 19 President and Polish State Secretary for the Environment responsible for Climate Policy Marcin Korolec and Peruvian Environment Minister and incoming COP 20 President Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, as co-chairs of the ministerial meetings, are planning to brief the press on 6 June.

Other notable events taking place during the two-week session include: a SBSTA Expert meeting on non-market-based approaches and REDD+; special events on the contributions of Working Groups II (impacts, adaptation and vulnerability) and III (mitigation) to the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); an update on technology needs assessments (TNAs); a long-term finance workshop; open-ended informal consultations on COP 20; the launch of the UNFCCC capacity-building portal; a workshop on the revision of guidelines for reviewing national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories from parties included in Annex I to the Convention; and a workshop on the nationally appropriate mitigation action (NAMA) work programme. [UNFCCC Press Release] [IISD RS Coverage of the Bonn Climate Change Conference]