20 September 2018
Policy Briefs Analyze Sustainable Development in UNFCCC Process
UN Photo/Gill Fickling
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Six policy briefs by UNEP-DTU Partnership and Gold Standard highlight key issues and questions raised on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement on climate change (market and non-market approaches).

The briefs cover sustainable development and governance, safeguarding principles, impact assessment, using the SDG Framework, stakeholder consultation, and issues around transparency and reporting.

28 August 2018: The UN Environment Programme Partnership with the Technical University of Denmark (UNEP-DTU Partnership) and Gold Standard released six policy briefs focusing on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement on climate change, which addresses market and non-market approaches. Issued in advance of the 24th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 24) to the UNFCCC, the briefs summarize views expressed by Parties and stakeholders during a series of engagement events held in the first half of 2018.

The briefs outline points of convergence and divergence of views, and highlight key issues and questions raised on Article 6 during the dialogues. The first brief titled, ‘Sustainable Development and Governance in Context of the UNFCCC Process,’ notes that several misconceptions have created challenges for sustainable development in the context of the UNFCCC process, and hindered progress on Article 6: that sustainable development can be neither defined nor measured; that international guidance on sustainable development would threaten national prerogatives; and that sustainable development is not compatible with market mechanisms.

Titled, ‘Safeguarding Principles and Do-no-harm Approaches for Climate Action,’ the second brief describes why safeguarding principles matter. These principles and approaches, the brief notes, often refer to environmental integrity to ensure that mitigation outcomes are achieved. The authors underscore that the need for credible safeguards stems from the interconnected natures of development issues and climate change, and that safeguards are also about building trust in delivery mechanisms.

The concept of sustainable development has been criticized for being too broad.

The third brief titled, ‘Sustainable Development Impact Assessment of Climate Actions,’ describes elements of credible assessments, which include, inter alia: guidance for effective engagement of all impacted stakeholders; evaluation of any negative impacts of climate mitigation activities; and third-party involvement to ensure credibility and impartiality. It emphasizes that such assessments can increase trust in voluntary mechanisms and trigger a race to the top, among other benefits.

The fourth brief titled, ‘Criteria for Sustainable Development and How to Use the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Framework,’ laments that the concept of sustainable development has been criticized for being too broad, but points to common ground between the SDGs and Paris Agreement that can operationalize the term. It notes that the two frameworks are mutually supportive in that they each draw their principles from the Rio Principles including common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR), equity and the role of human rights.

The fifth brief titled, ‘Sustainable Development Stakeholder Consultation,’ notes that although the term “stakeholder consultation” is not mentioned in Article 6, several submissions from Parties call for the institutionalized engagement and consulting of stakeholders. It emphasizes that stakeholder consultation is important for avoiding overly politicized discussions and for ensuring that communities are safeguarded against potential adverse effects of mitigation activities, also outlining several examples of successful stakeholder engagements.

The final brief titled, ‘Transparency and Reporting for Sustainable Development,’ looks at the Paris Agreement’s enhanced transparency framework under Article 13, outlining linkages to other Agreement provisions. The brief notes that Article 6 “clearly states sustainable development as its second objective and makes it clear that mitigation activities need to contribute or foster sustainable development,” but recognizes that Article 13 also provides for Parties reporting on mitigation. [UNEP-DTU Press Release on Policy Briefs]


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