1. Towards a successful first global stocktake
Climate Change Expert Group (CCXG)
Global Forum on the Environment and Climate Change
12-13 September 2023
Noura Alissa, Senior International Policy Specialist
Ministry of Energy, Saudi Arabia

2. Focus:
• The first global stocktake (GST1) provides a unique
opportunity to take stock of collective efforts and
course correct towards meeting the goals of the Paris
Agreement. This session will explore what it will take
to reach a robust outcome on GST1 at COP28, what
concrete elements the final GST1 package could
include to enable a course correction, and what
specific follow-up is needed to drive action on the
ground by Parties and non-Party stakeholders in the
years ahead.
Discussion Questions:
1. What are key elements of a successful outcome of
GST1 at COP28?
2. What specific follow-up is needed to ensure Parties’
put forward new nationally determined contributions
(NDCs) “informed” by GST1 and in line with provisions
in Article 4 of the Paris Agreement by COP30?
Focus Areas:
Elements:
✓ Scope of outcomes
✓ Nature of outputs
✓ Nature of outcome and messages
✓ Nature of process

3. Scope of Outcomes:
• Recalling Article 14.1 of the Paris Agreement on the
objective of the Global Stocktake to assess the collective
progress towards achieving the purpose of this Agreement
and its long-term goals and that it shall do so in a
comprehensive and facilitative manner, considering
mitigation, adaptation and the means of implementation
and support, and in the light of equity and the best
available science.
• Further recalling decision 19/CMA.1 which identified that
the global stocktake shall also take into account efforts
related to loss and damage and response measures.
• The outcome of the global stocktake shall inform Parties in
updating and enhancing, in a nationally determined
manner, their actions and support in accordance with the
relevant provisions of this Agreement, as well as in
enhancing international cooperation for climate action.
Recollection of Mandates: Scope of outcomes, nature of outputs
Nature of Outputs:
• Recalling decision 19/CMA.1, paragraph
34, the outputs of the global stocktake
should identify opportunities for and
challenges in enhancing action and
support in the thematic areas of
mitigation, adaptation and means of
implementation and support, and in loss
and damage and response measures (6(b))
and summarize key political messages for
strengthening action and enhancing
support.

4. What is our starting point? SB58 Indicative Draft Structure of CMA Decision
Adaptation
Means of Implementation and Support
Loss & Damage
Mitigation
Response Measures
A. Preamble
B. Context and Cross-Cutting Considerations
C. Collective Progress and informing Parties in updating
and enhancing, in a nationally determined manner, action
and support
D. Enhancing International Cooperation for Climate Action
E. Guidance and Way Forward
Structure:
✓ Recalling relevant decisions, mandates, principles and goals
Messages:
✓ Outlining bases for assesment of collective progress,
including principles, equity and best available science
✓ Collective progress
✓ Gaps
✓ Political Messages:
✓ Challenges and barriers
✓ Opportunities
An effective structure of the substantive section of decision, will
enable balance between backward and forward looking
elements and balance between highlighting urgency and
allowing for nationally determined action:
✓ Outlining barriers and opportunities for accelerated
international cooperation and climate action
✓ Next steps

5. Nature of Outcomes: How to ensure effective buy-in and consensus
Continued party-driven, consensus-building
What it should do:
Opportunities to be adopted in a nationally
determined manner
Consideration of science through lens of equity and
principles of Convention and its Paris Agreement
Preservation of CBDR-RC, equity, transitions in context
of sustainable development and poverty eradication.
Comprehensive progress and opportunities
across all thematic areas, including LD & RM
Focus on all emissions from all sources.
Balance between hope and urgency.
Parachuted top-down outcome
Cherry-picking science out of context
Policy-prescriptive recommendations or
messages
Erosion of differentiation and imposing unfair
burdens on developing countries
Imbalanced mitigation-centric outcome, only
focused on forward-looking elements
Focus on sources.
Lacks needed positive message.
What it should not do:

6. 6
Next steps: Simplifying
How to connect the GST with the wider UNFCCC process?
GST to ”inform” parties in
enhancing action and support
Enhancing international
cooperation on Climate Action
Outcome of GST to clearly outline progress, barriers and opportunities for Parties
to consider in their updated action and support.
Clear political messages on enabling political environment for cooperation.
Element: Means:
Inclusive political messages on all solutions and technologies to accelerate
emissions reduction and climate action, to enable wider bilateral partnerships
and multilateral cooperation on R&D, innovation, technology deployment.
Outcome of GST to clearly outline needs & priorities of developing countries and
means of overcoming finance, capacity-building and technology transfer gaps.
Work programs may take inspiration from the key messages of the GST in a cross-cutting manner.