30 April 2018: The UN Climate Change Conference opened in Bonn, Germany, on 30 April 2018, and will continue until 10 May. The ongoing preparatory phase of the Talanoa Dialogue is expected to continue deliberations on its three questions related to countries’ efforts to combat climate change: Where are we? Where do we want to go? How do we get there?

The Talanoa Dialogue’s preparatory phase started in January 2018 and will last until December, to be followed by a political phase at the Katowice Climate Change Conference.

The Bonn Climate Change Conference comprises meetings of three bodies: the 48th session of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI 48), the 48th session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 48) and the fifth part of the first session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA 1-5).

Some of the main issues under negotiation in Bonn relate to the Paris Agreement’s cyclical and iterative nature.

The agendas of the three bodies cover a range of issues, including the Paris Agreement Work Programme (PAWP) and a set of decisions required to operationalize the Paris Agreement on climate change, on which the Bonn Climate Change Conference is expected to focus.

Some of the main issues under negotiation in Bonn relate to the Paris Agreement’s cyclical and iterative nature. They include Parties updating their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) at five-year intervals, regular reports on progress under a transparency and accountability framework, and convening a global stocktake (GST) every five years to assess collective progress towards the Paris Agreement’s goals.

Related discussions in the negotiations focus on, inter alia: information that could improve the clarity, transparency and understanding of NDCs; NDC features; accounting for NDCs; and the transparency framework for action and support, which includes reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and financial support provided to developing countries. Deliberations will also center on matters relating to the GST, common timeframes for NDCs, and modalities and procedures for the NDC registry.

Other PAWP themes to be discussed in Bonn include: the committee to facilitate implementation and promote compliance under the Paris Agreement; accounting of financial resources provided and mobilized through public interventions; and recognizing developing countries’ adaptation efforts. Delegates will also consider adaptation communication, the forum on the impact of the implementation of response measures, and cooperative approaches under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which include market and non-market based approaches. [IISD RS coverage of Bonn Climate Change Conference] [Bonn Climate Change Conference webpage] [SDG Knowledge Hub story on release of APA, SBI, SBSTA agendas] [SDG Knowledge Hub story on Parties providing inputs to Talanoa Dialogue] [SDG Knowledge Hub story on non-Party inputs to Talanoa Dialogue] [SDG Knowledge Hub story on UNFCCC summary of Talanoa Dialogue inputs]