UN Climate Change News, 11 November 2021 - At COP26 in Glasgow, 17 countries shared updates on climate action over the two day- Multilateral Assessment (MA) and Facilitative Sharing of Views (FSV) events.
Seven developing countries participated in the FSV workshop, the final stage of the International Consultation Analysis (ICA) process. At the workshop, Parties shared their experiences on the implementation of the domestic MRV arrangements and national efforts to establish or enhance them. Countries showcased their mitigation actions in the energy sector by shifting to renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and hydro power. Several countries highlighted the sustainable forest management activities they are undertaking, such as implementing REDD+, to contribute to reducing emissions from the forest and land use sector. It was also an opportunity to inform the international community of the support required in transitioning to the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) under the Paris Agreement.
In a similar process, ten developed countries underwent MA, the final stage of the International Assessment and Review (IAR) process. As part of this, each country presented an (link is external) overview of their key climate actions and answered clarifying questions from other countries both in advance of and at the session.
In the first ever joint FSV/MA closing, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa praised countries for not only showing leadership, transparency and openness, but also for keeping the process moving forward over the past year. Noting that IAR and ICA processes form the basis of the Paris Agreement's Enhanced Transparency Framework, Espinosa commented, "By highlighting progress made and identifying where further efforts are needed, these platforms help to build trust among countries and encourage further action."
Facilitative Sharing of Views
Seven developing countries participated in the 11th workshop of the FSV. Cambodia, Dominican Republic, Lao PDR, Oman and Tajikistan presented their first Biennial Update Report (BUR), while Uruguay and India presented their third reports.
Developing countries pointed out common issues of vulnerability from climate change impacts. The major sources of GHG emissions in Uruguay, Cambodia, Lao PDR and Tajikistan are the agriculture and land use sectors, while, for the Dominican Republic, Oman and India the largest emitting sector is the energy sector. Promoting renewable energy is among the main mitigation actions for the participating countries. Managing forests sustainably, reducing deforestation and forest degradation and increasing agricultural sustainability were also highlighted by Lao PDR, Uruguay, Cambodia and India.
The countries under FSV also shared information on the financial and technical support they have received for reporting, leveraging policies, and supporting their mitigation actions. Ongoing needs for additional finance and capacity-building were also presented.
The seven parties also noted their commitment to transition towards the enhanced transparency framework. In addition, Oman and Tajikistan provided detailed information on the institutional arrangements relevant to the preparation of their first biennial transparency report.
Multilateral Assessment
Ten developed country Parties underwent MA at COP26: Kazakhstan, Croatia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and the United Kingdom.
Several countries stressed the need to reduce energy-related emissions - especially in the transport sector - while simultaneously boosting energy independence. Luxembourg focused on expanding public transport and e-mobility and decarbonizing freight transport; Monaco noted the benefits of expanding dedicated public transport lanes; and Liechtenstein, Poland and Romania described efforts to increase solar energy production - for example, through Romania's Green House Programme which supports the installation of solar energy generation feeding into the public network, and Poland's micro-solar "My Power Priority" programme.
Moreover, Parties such as Iceland promoted their collaboration with technology innovator CarbFix to develop carbon capture and mineralization and direct-air carbon capture facilities, while the UK spoke about speeding the transition of homes and workplaces to low-carbon heating technologies with heat pumps and finding ways to harness the ambition of the private sector.
On adapting to climate change impacts, both Croatia and Kazakhstan described the adoption of National Adaptation Plans, while the UK announced the publication of its first Adaptation Communication. In addition, Slovenia showcased its Climate Mirror, an annual publication aimed at tracking the implementation of measures to address climate change.
In the joint closing session, the SBI Chair reflected on the many positive statements from Parties on the ICA and IAR processes: "We heard that expert review teams bring valuable international experience to the Parties they assess, and that national experts benefit from participating in these processes, gaining capacity and skills to participate in the reporting and review of other Parties. We also heard that these processes can encourage Parties to better coordinate their work and report on their progress, and that the outcome of their efforts helps to raise awareness of governments to the importance of these processes under the UNFCCC."
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