27 March 2015: The International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) and Koelnmesse organized the inaugural Carbon Forum Asia (CFA) Workshop, bringing together actors from the entire carbon and energy market value chain to discuss trends in carbon pricing, the upcoming 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the UNFCCC and developments in climate finance. The two-day CFA 2015 Workshop focused on the Asian experience in implementing market-based solutions to reducing carbon pollution.

Held on 26-27 March 2015, in Macao, China, the Workshop also included a ‘NAMA Market Place’ session organized by the UNFCCC Secretariat to facilitate the implementation of Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) in the Asia-Pacific and Eastern Europe. At the event, nine countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Indonesia, Iran, Laos, Macedonia, the Philippines, Vanuatu and Viet Nam) presented their NAMAs to potential investors. The event aimed to encourage future collaboration and allowed developing countries to learn from one another’s experiences in formulating NAMAs. In addition, countries received feedback on creating effective proposals, using business plans and ways to contact additional private and public investors.

Other sessions at the Workshop covered: the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and other investments, instruments and institutions of interest; innovation in low-carbon technologies; the Business Partnership for Market Readiness (B-PMR); REDD+; and intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) to the anticipated 2015 Paris climate change agreement.

Attendees included bankers, carbon traders, market advisors and analysts, low carbon technology providers, representatives from carbon credit offset organizations, verifiers and certifiers, Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project developers, representatives from government, public institutions and multilateral organizations, media, academics, and researchers. [CFA Workshop Website] [UNFCCC Press Release] [NAMA News Press Release]