30 October 2013: The UNFCCC Secretariat has released a technical paper on the Convention’s mandates, prepared by the Secretariat, and a scenario note prepared by the Co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP), with the objective to inform discussions to be held during the upcoming Climate Change Conference that will take place in Warsaw, Poland, from 11-22 November 2013.

These documents, together with overviews and compilations on mitigation and adaptation will be addressed during the the third part of the ADP’s second session. The Secretariat’s technical paper containing an overview of the mandates, and the progress of work under institutions, mechanism and arrangements under the Convention (FCCC/ADP/2013/INF.2) was prepared by the Secretariat in response to an ADP request, with the objective to inform the work of the ADP, including on linkages. The document provides an overview of the arrangements that exist under the Convention, including its Kyoto Protocol, the linkages between them, and the activities they have underway for parties to identify how existing arrangements could be built upon, or reflected in, the 2015 agreement, and what additional arrangements might be needed.

The Scenario note prepared by ADP Co-Chairs Kishan Kumarsingh (Trinidad and Tobago) and Artur Runge-Metzger (the EU) seeks to assist delegates in preparing for the upcoming ADP session. The Co-Chairs underscore parties and observers submissions, as well as ongoing informal and pre-sessional consultations with groups of parties. They indicate that main goals for the ADP in Warsaw are to advance focused work on defining the content and elements of the 2015 agreement; and to reach clarity on the outcome of the work on closing the pre-2020 ambition gap. The indicate their belief that parties are ready to move on from understanding of concepts to defining the content of the 2015 agreement by starting focused work on the elements of that agreement, including mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology development and transfer, transparency of action and support, and capacity building.

ADP Co-Chairs propose that parties advance their work in open-ended consultations operating in a focused, balanced and interactive manner with basis on questions posed by the ADP Co-Chairs to address what elements in place could be taken forward in the context of the 2015 agreement and what needs to be strengthened. On exploring options for a range of actions that can close the pre-2020 ambition gap (worsktream 2), ADP Co-Chairs invite parties to elaborate on what outcome parties want to achieve and which actions should be taken to this end. ADP Co-Chairs also propose that the work be complemented by settings agreed in Doha, including roundtables, workshops and briefings, as appropriate and needed.

Moreover, some technical papers were prepared to inform ADP discussions, including an updated compilation of information on mitigation benefits of actions, initiatives and options to enhance mitigation ambition by the Secretariat. The main text contains a summary of the main findings (FCCC/TP/2013/8); Addendum 1 provides an overview of existing mitigation pledges by parties and the emissions gap, as well as options related to finance, technology and capacity-building for supporting implementation of mitigation action by developing countries (FCCC/TP/2013/8/Add.1); and Addendum 2 includes an overview of the options to enhance mitigation ambition and next steps under ADP workstream 2 (pre-2020 ambition) in advancing its work plan on enhancing mitigation ambition (FCCC/TP/2013/8/Add.2).

On adaptation, the Secretariat presented a technical paper synthesizing submissions on the costs, benefits and opportunities for adaptation based on different drivers of climate change impacts, including the relationship between adaptation and mitigation (FCCC/TP/2013/10). On the relationship between adaptation and mitigation, the document highlights that many parties stressed that global mitigation efforts will affect the rate of climate change and its impacts and have a bearing on the level of adaptation required. It also points out that one group of parties proposed a way to operationalize the relationship between adaptation and mitigation in the 2015 agreement. [Publication: Technical Paper Containing an Overview of the Mandates, and the Progress of Work under Institutions, Mechanism and Arrangements under the Convention] [Publication: Scenario Note by the ADP Co-Chairs] [Publication: Updated Compilation of Information on Mitigation Benefits of Actions, Initiatives and Options to Enhance Mitigation Ambition] [Publication: Updated Compilation on Mitigation- Addendum 1] [Publication: Updated Compilation on Mitigation- Addendum 2] [Publication: Synthesis of Submissions for Adaptation]