CCCXG Global Forum March 2017 BG4 Summary note: links between guidance on CTU and other guidance under the Paris Agreement by Marcelo Rocha

1. Climate Change Expert Group (CCXG)
Global Forum on the Environment and Climate
Change
14-15 March 2017
Breakout Group 4: Developing guidance on information for CTU under the
Paris Agreement
Summary note from Marcelo T. Rocha1 on the question2:
What are the links between guidance on CTU and other guidance under the Paris
Agreement that will also influence the CTU of NDCs, such as on accounting and
reporting of progress?
First, let me thanks OECD and IEA for the invitation for participate in this
meeting and Sara Moarif for the very useful draft discussion document
“Information needed to facilitate the clarity, transparency and understanding of
mitigation contributions”.
I would like to invite all participants to picture themselves as a member of the
technical expert review (TER) team that will conduct the first centralized
review of the information submitted in the first biennial report under Article 13
(“Transparency Framework for Action and Support”) of the Paris Agreement
(PA) – the “biennial transparency report BTR”3.
What would be your task and priorities?
According to the PA, information submitted under Article 13, paragraph 7
(“National Inventory Report” – NIR and “Information necessary to track progress
made in implementing and achieving its nationally determined contribution
under Article 4”) and paragraph 9 (“information on financial, technology transfer
and capacity-building support provided”) shall undergo a TER4.
1 Fábrica Éthica Brasil – Sustainability Consultancy. Contacts:
marcelo.trocha@fabricaethica.com.br
2 This summary note reflect the personal view of the author and don’t represent the view of any
Party.
3 In this summary note the term “BTR” will be used to designate the biennial report under Article
13 of the Paris Agreement.
4 Article 13, paragraph 11

2. Therefore you will need to review such information according to “common
modalities, procedures and guidelines” (MPG) of Article 135 to be developed
by the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA).
In terms of the NIR the information presented in the first BTR will, in best-case
scenario, cover the emissions and removals of 2 years behind the submission
year. For example, if the first BTR is submitted in 2020, the inventories years will
cover emissions and removals that have occurred until 2018.
So, the focus of the first review of first BTR should be on information about NDC
and the support provided.
What kind of information and/or details you need for properly review the “track
of progress” of the NDC?
First, you will need clarity, transparency and understanding (CTU) about the
NDC. If you use the current information that has being included in the existent
NDC6, submitted taking into consideration paragraph 27 of Decision 1/CP.217,
you will probably end up raising a lot of questions to complement and/or better
understand the NDC, because the information that have being presented up to
now is very concise and not necessary fully transparent.
To facilitate and enhance the level of detail and transparency, Decision 1/CP.21,
paragraph 28, requested the APA to develop further guidance for the
information to be provided by Parties in order to facilitate clarity,
transparency and understanding of the NDC.
What are the links between further guidance on CTU and other guidance’s under
the PA?
In order to allow that the TER teams have all the information and orientation
they need to perform they tasks with confidence is imperative that the “further
guidance on CTU” and the “MPG of Article 13” is adopted by Conference of the
Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA) at
2018 and is desirable that Parties communicate new NDCs and/or update the
NDCs by 20208 with new information related to CTU.
Is also imperative that the “further guidance on CTU” and the elements of the
“MPG of Article 13” related to the reporting and review of the “information
necessary to track progress made in implementing and achieving its nationally
5 Article 13, paragraph 13
6 Available at the NDC registry (interim): http://www4.unfccc.int/ndcregistry/Pages/Home.aspx
7 “… quantifiable information on the reference point (including, as appropriate, a base year), time
frames and/or periods for implementation, scope and coverage, planning processes, assumptions
and methodological approaches including those for estimating and accounting for anthropogenic
greenhouse gas emissions and, as appropriate, removals, and how the Party considers that its
nationally determined contribution is fair and ambitious, in the light of its national circumstances,
and how it contributes towards achieving the objective of the Convention”.
8 Paragraphs 23 and 24 of Decision 1/CP.21.

3. determined contribution under Article 4” are fully consistent. To achieve such
consistency Parties may agree that the information present as CTU, in the first
BTR, will “trigger indicators” that would be used in subsequent BTRs to allow the
track of progress. The review of the “track of progress” would be them made on
the basis of the initial information (i.e. the CTU) and the indicators derived from
the CTU.
Finally, is worth to mention that the guidance for “account for the NDC” (from
Article 4, paragraph 13) can only be fully applied after the submission of the BTR
that have the NIR that covers the final year of the NDC cycle. For example, a NDC
with a mitigation contribution for 2030 can only be “accounted for” in the year
2033 when the TER report of the BTR received in 2032 with the NIR that cover
the year 2030 will be available.
Even with this “late account for” the elements related to accounting in the
guidance of Article 6, paragraph 2 shall be applied in each BTR submission and
TER cycle. In order words, the use of internationally transferred mitigation
outcomes (ITMOS) shall be reported under the “information necessary to track
progress” in each BTR and be reviewed accordantly until the year when the
guidance for “account for the NDC” will be fully applied.
Once again thanks for the opportunity and I will be available to respond to any
question and/or comment.
Marcelo T. Rocha, Paris, March 15th 2017.