8 December 2011: The UNFCCC Secretariat has entered into collaboration with the South-South Global Assets and Technology Exchange (SS-GATE) and the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation in the UN Development Programme (UNDP) to use a clean development mechanism (CDM) project to offset greenhouse gas emissions associated with the travel of the UNFCCC Secretariat staff and supported delegates to the Durban Climate Change Conference.

The project is a CDM project in Johannesburg, South Africa, involving the conversion of the Corobrik Lawley coal-fired clay brick factory to natural gas power. Through its transaction platform, SS-GATE secured a donor, Guangzhou Shengzhou Investment Limited Corporation, to purchase the certified emission reductions (CERs) generated by the project and to use these CERs to offset the 1844 tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions resulting from the 398 Secretariat staff and 369 supported delegates’ travel to and from the Conference. [UNFCCC Press Release]