24 October 2014: As mandated by the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties at its 19th session (COP 19), the Executive Committee of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage (Excom) developed a draft two-year workplan for consideration by the Subsidiary Bodies for Implementation (SBI) and for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA). The Secretariat has released an advance version of a document summarizing the work of the Committee since its creation by COP 19 and its draft workplan.

The Excom, which is also mandated to report annually and make recommendations to the COP through SBI and SBSTA, met for its initial meeting on 25-28 March 2014 and on 17-18 September 2014 in Bonn, Germany. During the meeting, members discussed and organized the action areas that could make up the workplan, finalized an initial version and heard comments and input from observers, according to the report.

The annexes of the report contain the names of the interim members of the Committee and the proposed workplan. The workplan outlines activities, an indicative timeframe and expected results for each of nine action areas. The action areas include such objectives as, inter alia, increasing understanding of loss and damage, promoting risk management approaches, examining slow onset events and their impacts, boosting knowledge of non-economic losses, studying capacity and coordination needs, and developing a five-year rolling workplan for consideration at COP 22. [UNFCCC Publication Webpage] [Report of the Executive Committee of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage Associated with Climate Change Impacts] [IISD RS Story on Initial Excom Meeting]