17 April 2014: The UNFCCC Secretariat has published two documents related to the work of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP). The first provides reflections on progress made at the fourth part of the ADP’s second session, and the second is a scenario note on the fifth part of the ADP’s second session.

In the reflections note, the ADP Co-Chairs explain that at the fourth part of the ADP’s second session, in March 2014, parties advanced the ADP’s work by: making progress towards elaborating the content of the 2015 agreement, with the aim of determining elements for a draft negotiating text by the 20th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 20) to the UNFCCC, to be held in Lima, Peru; initiating discussions that facilitate domestic preparations for nationally determined contributions; and considering practical and realizable opportunities for raising pre-2020 ambition. Regarding work towards the 2015 agreement, the note includes an annex, presenting the “landscape of issues identified by Parties” thus far on what they would like to see reflected as elements for a draft negotiating text by Lima. Based on this, the annex addresses, inter alia: equity and ambition; differentiation; mitigation; adaptation; finance; technology development and transfer; capacity building; nationally determined contributions; transparency of action and support; compliance; assessment; and the role of non-state actors.

The ADP Co-Chairs also describe how the March session launched a new phase in building pre-2020 ambition, for which technical expert meetings (TEMs) provided an opportunity for Parties to: engage with each other and with partner organizations on how to “unlock the mitigation potential” of renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements; and pursue activities intersessionally with the aim of delivering tangible results by Lima. At the meeting, parties also established a contact group in order to move into a more formal, interactive, focused mode of negotiations.

In the scenario note for the upcoming ADP session, the Co-Chairs underscore the increased urgency to take action on climate change in light of the recent reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Regarding the resumption of the contact group and the 2015 agreement, the Co-Chairs, inter alia, note that time would be allocated to consider all issues under negotiation in a balanced manner, and that parallel sessions with the meetings of the subsidiary bodies should be avoided as much as possible, particularly with respect to mitigation. They reiterate that: the “landscape of issues identified by Parties” would facilitate the contact group’s work and be further elaborated at the June session; and work would continue on identifying information that parties will provide when submitting their nationally determined contributions. Regarding the organization of work, the contact group will address: adaptation, mitigation and finance during the first week; and technology development and transfer, capacity building, and transparency of action and support during the second week.

On pre-2020 ambition, the scenario note explains that the ADP will continue examining opportunities for actions with high mitigation potential, including those with adaptation and sustainable development co-benefits through the organization of TEMs, which, in June, will focus on opportunities regarding the urban environment and land use. These meetings will take place on 10 and 11 June, respectively. [ADP Co-Chairs Reflections Note] [ADP Co-Chairs Scenario Note] [IISD RS Coverage of ADP 2-4]