5 April 2019: The UNFCCC Secretariat has published the provisional agendas for the 50th sessions of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 50) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI 50).

The SBs will convene in Bonn, Germany, from 17-27 June 2019.

SBSTA 50 will address, among other issues: the Nairobi work programme (NWP) on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change; and matters relating to science and review, including research and systematic observation and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C (SR15).

Also up for discussion are methodological issues under the Convention, including a training programme for review experts for the technical review of greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories of Annex I Parties to the Convention (developed countries); a training programme for review experts for the technical review of biennial reports (BRs) and national communications of Annex I Parties; GHG data interface; common metrics to calculate the CO2 equivalence of GHGs; and emissions from fuel used for international aviation and maritime transport.

Under methodological issues under the Kyoto Protocol, SBSTA 50 will address: land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF); and implications of including reforestation of lands with forest in exhaustion as afforestation and reforestation clean development mechanism (CDM) project activities.

Regarding methodological issues under the Paris Agreement, SBSTA 50 has on its agenda issues related to, inter alia, reporting of information: on anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of GHGs; to track progress made in implementing and achieving Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs); and on financial, technology development and transfer and capacity-building support.

On matters relating to Article 6 (cooperative approaches) of the Paris Agreement, the SBSTA will address: guidance on cooperative approaches; rules, modalities and procedures for the mechanism established by Article 6; and the work programme under the framework for non-market approaches.

The SBSTA will also discuss market and non-market mechanisms under the Convention, including a framework for various approaches, non-market-based approaches, and a new market-based mechanism.

SBI 50 will include: a multilateral assessment working group session under the international assessment and review (IAR) process; and a facilitative sharing of views under the international consultation and analysis (ICA) process.

The SBI will address issues related to reporting from and review of Annex I Parties, including, inter alia: status of submission and review of seventh national communications and third BRs; compilations and syntheses of second and third BRs; the report on national GHG inventory data for 1990-2016; and revision of the IAR modalities and procedures.

On reporting from non-Annex I Parties (developing countries), the SBI will discuss: information contained in national communications; terms of reference (ToR) of the Consultative Group of Experts (CGE); provision of financial and technical support; and summary reports on the technical analysis of biennial update reports (BURs).

The SBI will also discuss, inter alia: common time frames for NDCs; Kyoto Protocol mechanisms; matters relating to least developed countries (LDCs); development and transfer of technologies; membership of the Adaptation Fund Board (AFB); gender and climate change; and administrative, financial and institutional matters.

The SBSTA and SBI will jointly address: terms of reference for the 2019 review of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage associated with Climate Change Impacts (WIM); the Koronivia joint work on agriculture; the scope of the next periodic review of the long-term global goal under the Convention and of overall progress towards achieving it; and matters relating to the forum on the impact of the implementation of response measures. [Provisional Agenda for SBI 50] [Provisional Agenda for SBSTA 50]