4 September 2017: Over the course of two weeks, the UNFCCC Secretariat has released six reports on the individual review of the annual submissions by developed country Parties to the Kyoto Protocol submitted in 2015 and/or 2016, as well as three reports on the review of the reports to facilitate the calculation of the assigned amounts for the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol (CP2). The Secretariat has also published: the final compilation and accounting (C&A) report for Ukraine for the first commitment period (CP1); a technical analysis of Ecuador’s first Biennial Update Report (BUR1); a report on the individual review of the annual submission of Monaco submitted in 2015; and a report of the technical assessment of the proposed forest reference emission level (FREL) of Brazil submitted in 2017.

In addition, in preparation for the 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 23) to the UNFCCC, taking place in Bonn, Germany, from 6-17 November 2017, the Secretariat has issued reports of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Joint Implementation Supervisory Committee (JISC) and the Consultative Group of Experts on National Communications from Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention (CGE).

A transparency and compliance regime is vital for building international trust and confidence that action to address climate change is taking place, as well as for assessing how to facilitate further action. Progress achieved under the UNFCCC and the subsequent decisions and agreements adopted by Parties is also relevant to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13 (climate action).

The transparency framework developed under the UNFCCC is intended to increase the international understanding of mitigation, adaptation and other actions towards fulfilling commitments outlined in the Convention and related decisions or agreements. The transparency framework takes the form of national reporting through National Communications (NCs) from all Parties, BURs from non-Annex I (developing country) Parties, as well as Biennial Reports (BRs) and annual greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory submissions from Annex I (developed country) Parties.

Secretariat Releases Reports on Individual Review of Submissions by Kyoto Protocol Parties

Under the UNFCCC transparency framework, each Annex I Party must submit an annual GHG inventory covering emissions and removals of GHG emissions for all years from the base year or period to two years before the inventory due date. Annex I Parties that are Parties to the Kyoto Protocol are also required to report supplementary information required under Article 7(1) of the Kyoto Protocol, with the inventory submission due under the Convention.

The Secretariat has issued reports on the individual review of the annual submissions of: the Czech Republic submitted in 2015 (FCCC/ARR/2015/CZE) and 2016 (FCCC/ARR/2016/CZE); Greece submitted in 2015 (FCCC/ARR/2015/GRC) and 2016 (FCCC/ARR/2016/GRC); and Luxembourg submitted in 2015 (FCCC/ARR/2015/LUX) and 2016 (FCCC/ARR/2016/LUX). The Secretariat has also issued corrigenda to the reports on the individual review of the annual submissions of Hungary submitted in 2015 (FCCC/ARR/2015/HUN/Corr.1) and 2016 (FCCC/ARR/2016/HUN/Corr.1). [Report of Individual Review of Annual Submission of Czech Republic 2015, Czech Republic 2016, Greece 2015, Greece 2016, Luxembourg 2015 and Luxembourg 2016] [Corrigenda to Reports of Individual Review of Annual Submission of Hungary 2015 and Hungary 2016]

Reviews of Reports to Facilitate Calculation of Assigned Amounts for CP2 Published

The Secretariat has published reports on the review of the reports to facilitate the calculation of the assigned amounts for CP2 of the Czech Republic (FCCC/IRR/2016/CZE), Greece (FCCC/IRR/2016/GRC) and Luxembourg (FCCC/IRR/2016/LUX).

Each Party with a quantified emission limitation or reduction commitment inscribed in the third column of Annex B to the Kyoto Protocol is required to submit to the Secretariat a report to facilitate the calculation of the assigned amount for CP2. The reports to facilitate the calculation of the assigned amounts are subject to review carried out by expert review teams (ERTs) in accordance with the ‘Guidelines for review under Article 8 of the Kyoto Protocol.’ [Reports on Review of Reports to Facilitate Calculation of Assigned Amount for the CP2 of Czech Republic, Greece and Luxembourg]

Secretariat Issues Final C&A Report for Ukraine

The Secretariat has issued the final C&A report for Ukraine for CP1 (FCCC/KP/CMP/2017/CAR/UKR).

Following the publication of all Annex I Parties’ True-Up Period Review Reports (TPRs), which was completed on 8 April 2016, C&A reports were prepared under the oversight of the relevant ERTs. C&A reports, which serve as the final “proof” of compliance, contain the final CP1 data on GHG emissions, the quantity of Kyoto Protocol units retired, and, if applicable, the units available for carry-over or the quantity by which GHG emissions exceeded the Kyoto Protocol units retired. Ukraine’s C&A report could not be completed at the time, given the preliminary finding of the Compliance Committee’s Enforcement Branch (CC-2016-1-4/Ukraine/EB) and the absence of accounting information for Ukraine. [Final C&A Report for Ukraine for CP1] [SDG Knowledge Hub Transparency and Compliance Update Addressing Secretariat’s Inability to Prepare Ukraine’s C&A Report] [SDG Knowledge Hub Transparency and Compliance Update Addressing Ukraine’s Resubmitted True-Up Period Report]

Report Analyzing Ecuador’s BUR1 Technical Annex Issued

One of the key elements of the UNFCCC transparency regime is the International Consultation and Analysis (ICA) process for non-Annex I Parties that examines BURs through a technical analysis by a team of technical experts (TTE) and a facilitative sharing of views (FSV).

The Secretariat has issued a technical analysis of Ecuador’s BUR1 submitted on 21 September 2016 (FCCC/SBI/ICA/2016/TASR.1/ECU). [Technical Analysis of Ecuador’s BUR1 Submitted on 21 September 2016]

Report on Individual Review of Monaco’s 2015 Annual Submission Published

The Secretariat has also released a report on the individual review of the annual submission of Monaco submitted in 2015 (FCCC/ARR/2015/MCO). The review took place from 26 September to 1 October 2016.

The document reports on methodological, technical, reporting and other issues related to transparency, comparability, accuracy and adherence to the relevant guidelines, as identified by the ERT in Monaco’s 2015 inventory submission, as well as the status of issues identified in previous reviews. The report also relays which issues have been identified in three successive reviews but have yet to be resolved by the Party. [Report on the Individual Review of the Annual Submission of Monaco Submitted in 2015]

Technical Assessment of Brazil’s 2017 Proposed Forest Reference Emission Level Released

The Secretariat issued a report of the technical assessment of the proposed forest reference emission level (FREL) of Brazil submitted in 2017 (FCCC/TAR/2017/BRA).

The report of the technical assessment of Brazil’s proposed FREL covers “reducing emissions from deforestation,” and notes that Brazil developed a subnational FREL for the Cerrado biome with the aim of transitioning to a national FREL and/or forest reference level in the future.

The report covers the technical assessment of Brazil’s FREL submission in the context of results-based payments. It notes that the FREL proposed by Brazil covers “reducing emissions from deforestation,” and that Brazil developed a subnational FREL for the Cerrado biome with the aim of transitioning to a national FREL and/or forest reference level in the future. The report states that the data and information are transparent, complete and in overall accordance with the relevant guidelines. It contains the assessed FREL and identifies areas for further technical improvement, including the addition in the FREL of forest degradation caused by fire, and of “quantitative information on uncertainties of emission factors and activity data used for constructing the FREL or an estimate of the total uncertainty of the FREL itself.” [Report of the Technical Assessment of the Proposed Forest Reference Emission Level of Brazil Submitted in 2017]

Secretariat Issues GEF, JISC, CGE Reports in Preparation for COP 23

In preparation for COP 23, the UNFCCC Secretariat has released a report of the GEF to the COP (FCCC/CP/2017/7), an annual report of the JISC to the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP) (FCCC/KP/CMP/2017/2) and a technical report by the CGE on the constraints in and recommendations for composing teams of technical experts. [Report of the GEF to the COP] [Annual Report of the JISC to the CMP] [Technical Report by the CGE on the Constraints in and Recommendations for Composing Teams of Technical Experts]