18 February 2013: The UNFCCC Secretariat has released a note by the Co-chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP). The note provides the Co-chairs’ reflections on the status of the ADP’s work after Doha and is aimed at assisting parties in their preparations for the next ADP session, to be held from 29 April – 3 May 2013, in Bonn, Germany.

In the note, the ADP Co-chairs commend parties for progress made in 2012, highlighting that parties in Doha adopted a concrete plan for meetings, workshops and roundtables to be held in 2013, and agreed to specify that elements of a negotiating text are to be available no later than the end of 2014, so that a draft negotiating text is available before May 2015. Moreover, the note underscores that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon would convene world leaders in 2014 to mobilize political will to ensure that the 2015 deadline to adopt an agreement is met.

The Co-chairs further identify challenges for the upcoming year, as well as key areas that could need further discussion. They suggest more focused work on the core elements of the 2015 agreement and a practical approach to increasing pre-2020 ambition. Regarding workstream 1, they advice more focused work on specific areas, such as on the scope, structure and design of the 2015 agreement. In relation to workstream 2, they suggest results-oriented discussions on concrete areas of action for increasing ambition, including specific actions and best practices at the national level, and specific cooperative initiatives at the international level. They also recommend a discussion on how finance, technology and capacity building could be strengthened.

The note also recommends that, in April, parties should address the question of “the potential role of contact groups and informal consultations” with a view to establishing a structure that can help to facilitate efficient and effective decision making, while remaining flexible and responding to the evolving needs of the ADP process. Moreover, the Co-chairs express their intention to hold an event to engage with observer organizations at the ADP’s April and June sessions. [Publication: Co-chairs Note on the ADP Status of Work]