The United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) workshop on the preparation of national
communications from non-Annex I Parties was held from 26-30 April 2004,
in Manila, the Philippines. The workshop brought together 88
participants representing 50 countries and 13 organizations, including
non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations, and UN
organizations, including UNDP and UNEP. The event was organized by the
UNFCCC Secretariat and the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR) of the Philippines, in collaboration with UNDP
Philippines and the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN).
Funding for the workshop was provided by the Governments of Spain,
Switzerland, the US and APN.
The workshop provided an opportunity to inform non-Annex I Parties on
the application of the revised Guidelines for the preparation of
non-Annex I national communications adopted at COP-8 in 2002, and the
Guidelines user manual developed by the UNFCCC Secretariat. It also
provided an opportunity to exchange information on financial and
technical support, including information on the procedures for accessing
financial resources and support for preparing national communications
from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and its implementing
agencies. Finally, the workshop aimed to identify other specific needs
and concerns relating to the preparation of national communications, and
ways to overcome these.
Throughout the week, workshop participants attended 11 plenary sessions
on relevant issues, including: national circumstances; national
greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories; measures to facilitate adequate
adaptation to climate change; measures to mitigate climate change; other
information relevant to the UNFCCC; constraints and gaps, and related
financial, technical and capacity needs; the development of project
proposals for funding second national communications; relevant regional
and multi-country projects and programmes; multilateral and regional
support programmes; and bilateral support programmes.
The workshop discussions resulted in agreement on a series of
recommendations on non-Annex I national communications that will be
submitted as part of the report of the workshop for consideration at the
twentieth sessions of the UNFCCC's Subsidiary Bodies (SB-20), scheduled
for June 2004 in Bonn, Germany. The workshop was immediately followed by
a meeting of the Consultative Group of Experts on non-Annex I national
communications (CGE), who were expected to discuss the training
programmes, support and technical assistance required by non-Annex I
Parties in preparing their second national communications, based on
outcomes at the workshop.
Workshop agenda.