2 April 2015: With the first set of biennial update reports (BURs) submitted to the UNFCCC Secretariat by non-Annex I (developing) country parties, the international consultation and analysis (ICA) process will begin within six months, according to the UNFCCC Secretariat. On its Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA) News site, the Secretariat presents a guide to the next steps under ICA.

The ICA process, which aims to increase transparency of mitigation actions and their effects, will start with a technical analysis conducted by a team of technical experts (TTE), according to the guide published by NAMA News. The TTE, which is selected from the UNFCCC roster of experts and through consultations with the country concerned, will produce a summary report with input from the country, as explained by NAMA News.

In preparation for the technical analysis phase of the process, the Secretariat states that, before serving on a TTE, experts must undergo training prepared by the Consultative Group of Experts (CGE). The Secretariat has announced the training is currently open for registration, with the first round beginning in April 2015.

ICA’s second step, facilitative sharing of views (FSV), will take the form of a workshop open to all parties, where, as outlined by NAMA News, each party will present its situation and exchange questions and answers with all other present parties.

NAMA News is managed by the NAMA and Registry Unit of the Non-Annex I Support Sub-Programme (NAIS) of the UNFCCC’s Mitigation, Data, and Analysis Programme (MDA). [NAMA News Press Release] [UNFCCC ICA Webpage]