Transparency of Action: Enhancing Measurement, Reporting, and Verification

1. ecbi european capacity building initiative initiative européenne de renforcement des capacités Mitigation and Transparency of Action Session II (Transparency of Action) Andrés Pirazzoli Team Leader, AILAC Support Unit September 8, 2015 for sustained capacity building in support of international climate change negotiations pour un renforcement durable des capacités en appui aux négociations internationales sur les changements climatiques

2. What is Transparency of Action, what for?? https://youtu.be/RRtSPqedg4k Ontario´s Former Envt. Commissioner Gord Miller On Ontario´s GHG reduction plans, “This report shows… that if we have good measurement in place, the ability to verify…. we can look at successes, and faillures, we have feedback in the system… we can change it, we can do something else. The people of Ontario want to know how well we are doing, we need proper measurement and verification.” Key concepts: Plans, Data, Report, Measurement, Verification, Access.

4. ADP 2-10 Elements for the Transparency of Action Section in the agreement. Some areas of commonality: Differentiation and/or flexibility would be required within the post-2020 transparency framework system in order to cater for the various levels of capacity and national circumstances; System would need to evolve, building on existing arrangements. Need deeper discussion and understanding to plan for this evolution and to adequately reflect this in the relevant parts of the text in the Paris Agreement and related decisions; Need for enhanced support-related issues with two layers of activity: first, the measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of action and the support needed to be enhanced; and second, support and capacity-building was needed for developing country Parties to participate effectively in such an enhanced transparency framework.

5. Issueslackingstillclarity and understanding: • accountability of actions, • accounting rules (includingthoseregarding use of markets and contribution of theland sector) and • whatkind of transparencyactivitiestake place at the • individual level and at the • aggregatelevel. A G77 position: “developing country Parties need support to participate effectively in the transparency framework”.

6. Supportfor MRV  • TheAgreementshouldrecognizethefactthatdeveloping country Partieswillcontinue to requiresupport to effectivelyparticipate in the post-2020 transparencyframework.  • Developing country Partieshavedifferentstartingpoints in terms of theircapacity to participate in thetransparencyframework, and the Paris Agreementwouldofferflexibility so as to accommodatethesenationalcircumstances, as well as to providetheplatform to effectcontinuousimprovementforallParties.  • Enhanced MRV underthe post-2020 transparencyframeworkwillrequireenhancedsupport in order to buildcapacities and overcomebarriers to effectiveparticipation. • At thesame time, theenhancement of provision of supportshould be commensuratewiththelevel/degree of enhancement of the MRV system.

7. MRV of support - lessmaturecompared to MRV of mitigationactions.  Commonalitiesinclude: • Thepurpose, principles and scopeof MRV of supportshould be anchored in theAgreement; and include, inter alia, • Purposeenhancingtransparency and tracking of progressonsupportprovided and received; providing a full overview (to theextentpossible) of climatefinanceundertheAgreement; ensuring no doublecounting; building trust and ensuringaccountabilityamongParties; • Key principlesfor MRV of supportcouldinclude: ensuringtransparency, accuracy, consistency, comparability and completeness, and no backsliding in theprovision of support. (Predictability and efficiency in theprovision of support); • Possiblescope of MRV of supportcouldincludefinance, technologydevelopment and transfer, and capacity-building. • Suggestedfurtherelements: • supportreceived and impact of supportreceived; • Whiletheprinciples and scopefor MRV of mitigation and supportshowedsomesymmetry, Partiesrecognizedthatitwould be differentforadaptation. In particular, thatadaptationactionswerestillundernegotiation and wouldhavedirectbearingonthecorrespondingwork in section I. • MRV of supportwouldevolveover time as capacityimprovesacrosstheboard; • TheAgreementshould capture theelementsthat are of durable nature, whiledetailedoperational rules/methodologies/guidelinesshould be part of a workprogrammelaunchedthrough a Decision.

8. PLACEMENT: differentviews SomePartiespreferthis be treated as a packageunderthetransparencyframeworkwhere MRV of actions are juxtaposedwith MRV of support. Otherspreferred a thematicapproachwerethetransparencyelementswereintegratedwiththevariousactionsrequiredunderthemitigation, adaptation and supportsections, respectively.

9. Working document [Section I - Transparency of action and support] Version of 4 September 2015 at 19:45 http://unfccc.int/files/bodies/awg/application/pdf/adp2-10_i_04sep2015t1945_wds.pdf