28 February 2017: The UNFCCC Secretariat has published the provisional agendas and annotations for the three subsidiary bodies meeting in May 2017: the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technical Advice (SBSTA); the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI); and the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA).

These provisional agendas and annotations outline the topics to be discussed and the outcomes expected in May.

APA

The APA’s agenda (FCCC/APA/2017/1) is the same as the last few official UNFCCC sessions because the APA is resuming its first session rather than starting a new one. It contains agenda items that are key to advancing the development of the “rule book” of the Paris Agreement. In other words, the APA is negotiating the specific guidelines, modalities and procedures that will make the Paris Agreement’s goals and provisions operational, ready to be implemented. The Paris Agreement is expected to serve as a major vehicle to advance efforts toward Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13 (climate action).

Countries will continue work on further guidance in relation to the mitigation section of the Paris Agreement, in particular on features of nationally-determined contributions (NDCs), information to facilitate clarity of NDCs, and accounting for Parties’ NDCs. Further guidance on adaptation communications will continue to be discussed, as will modalities, procedures and guidelines for the transparency framework for action and support. Negotiations will continue on matters related to the global stocktake (GST) and modalities and procedures for the effective operation of the committee to facilitate implementation and promote compliance. On further matters related to the implementation of the Paris Agreement, the annotations to the agenda note that the APA will discuss matters related to the Adaptation Fund at the request of Parties at the Marrakesh Conference of the Parties (COP). [APA 1-3 Agenda]

SBI

The SBI has considerable work ahead, by far the largest agenda of the three bodies. Its agenda (FCCC/SBI/2017/1) features work related to the ongoing measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) system such as the multilateral assessment (MA) and the facilitative sharing of views (FSV). These are opportunities for Parties to the Kyoto Protocol and Convention to present their efforts thus far and receive feedback and assessment from their peers. Other aspects of report from Annex I (developed countries) and non-Annex I (developing countries) will also be discussed.

Some mandated events, including technical expert processes on mitigation and adaptation, the Paris Committee on Capacity-building and possible elements of a gender action plan, will convene to continue implementation work under the SBI.

Much of the SBI’s work relates to other areas of ongoing implementation. Parties will discuss, inter alia, national implementation plans (NAPs), capacity building, matters related to least developed countries (LDCs), and response measures. Some mandated events, including technical expert processes (TEPs) on mitigation and adaptation, the Paris Committee on Capacity-building (PCCB) and possible elements of a gender action plan, will convene to continue implementation work under the SBI.

The SBI has three agenda items related to Paris Agreement rule book. Two of these agenda items outlined as development of modalities and procedures for the operation and use of a public registry for NDCs and for adaptation communications. The third area of work related to the Paris Agreement is the scope and modalities for the periodic assessment of the Technology Mechanism in relation to supporting the Paris Agreement. [SBI 46 Provisional Agenda]

SBSTA

The SBSTA has important work, encapsulated in a shorter list of agenda items (FCCC/SBSTA/2017/1). Much consists in ongoing technical work, including on agriculture, science and review, response measures and the Nairobi work programme on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change (NWP). There are several items under methodological issues under the Convention: revision of UNFCCC reporting guidelines on annual inventories for Annex I Parties; training programme for review experts for the technical review of greenhouse gas (GHG) data for inventories of Annex I Parties, and of biennial reports and national communications of Annex I Parties; GHG data interface; common metrics to calculate the carbon dioxide equivalence of GHGs; and emissions from fuel used for international aviation and maritime transport.

Under the Kyoto Protocol, Parties will continue consideration of the methodological issues of land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), and implications of the inclusion of forests in exhaustion as afforestation and reforestation projects in the CDM.

The SBSTA also has work related to the development of the Paris Agreement’s rule book. Under the SBSTA, countries will discuss the technology framework established by the Paris Agreement. Countries will continue negotiations on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement (market and non-market approaches), which includes: guidance on cooperative approaches; rules, modalities and procedures for the mechanism to contribute to mitigation and support sustainable development; and work programme under the framework for non-market approaches. Finally, the SBSTA will consider modalities for the accounting of financial resources provided and mobilized through public interventions. [SBSTA 46 Provisional Agenda]