TRANSPARENCY OF CLIMATE ACTION IN THE ENPI SOUTH REGION
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ClimaSouth Policy Series
Paper N.1
TRANSPARENCY
OF CLIMATE ACTION
IN THE ENPI SOUTH REGION
An assessment of the capacity of
South Mediterranean countries
to undertake Measurement,
Reporting and Verification (MRV)
and related challenges
Andrea Rizzo, ClimaSouth project
Low carbon development
for climate resilient societies
1
ClimaSouth Policy Series - Paper N.1 TRANSPARENCY OF CLIMATE ACTION IN THE ENPI SOUTH REGION An assessment of the capacity of South Mediterranean countries to undertake Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) and related challenges Andrea Rizzo, ClimaSouth project
Citation: ClimaSouth Policy Series, Paper N.1, 2016. Transparency of Climate Ac- tion in the ENPI South region. An assessment of the capacity of South Mediter- ranean countries to undertake Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) and related challenges. Prepared by Andrea Rizzo. Produced by the ClimaSouth project: www.climasouth.eu Author: Andrea Rizzo, ClimaSouth project: Graphic design & layout: Raffaella Gemma Editor: G.H. Mattravers Messana ClimaSouth Team Leader: Bernardo Sala Agriconsulting Consortium project directors: Ottavio Novelli / Ghizlane Lajjal © European Commission, 2016 DISCLAIMER The information and views set out in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the European Union. Neither the European Union, its institutions and bodies, nor any person acting on their behalf, may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained herein.
contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY................................................................................................................................ 7
LIST OF SELECTED ACRONYMS............................................................................................................... 9
1. INTRODUCTION TO MRV: UNFCCC OBLIGATIONS FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES......11
1.1. National Communications and Biennial Update Reports...................................................12
1.2. International Consultation and Analysis..................................................................................14
1.3. National MRV obligations............................................................................................................16
2. MRV IN THE PARIS AGREEMENT......................................................................................................19
3. MRV CAPACITY IN THE ENPI SOUTH REGION.............................................................................23
4. CONCLUSIONS......................................................................................................................................29
5. ANNEX: MRV CAPACITY PROFILES OF ENPI SOUTH COUNTRIES.........................................31
5.1. Algeria..............................................................................................................................................31
5.2. Egypt.................................................................................................................................................33
5.3. Israel.................................................................................................................................................34
5.4. Jordan...............................................................................................................................................36
5.5. Lebanon...........................................................................................................................................39
5.6. Libya.................................................................................................................................................43
5.7. Morocco...........................................................................................................................................43
5.8. State of Palestine...........................................................................................................................46
5.9. Tunisia..............................................................................................................................................47EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Mediterranean region has been identi- carbon future called by the Agreement is tak-
fied as a climate change hotspot by the In- ing place.
tergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC). Most countries in the region are al- In this context, ClimaSouth undertook a
ready experiencing rising temperatures, in- comparative analysis of the MRV policies and
creasing water scarcity, rising frequency of frameworks of ENPI South countries, using
droughts and forest fires, as well as grow- available public material and carrying out in-
ing rates of desertification. The entry into dividual interviews with national MRV focal
force of the Paris Agreement represents an points, including through conducting specific
historical step in the fight against climate country missions. The aim of this analysis
change and may also open new opportuni- was two-fold: on the one hand, to create a
ties for further economic development, par- comprehensive and up-to-date overview of
ticularly those associated with the transition the progress that ENPI South countries have
to low-carbon options. made in the development of MRV structures;
on the other hand, to illustrate and reflect on
The EU-funded ClimaSouth project supports the challenges they face with regard to the
partner countries in the ENPI South region operationalization of these structures.
(Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Lib- This policy paper presents the findings of this
ya, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia) towards analysis, which can be summarized as follows:
low carbon development while building cli-
mate resilience. • an understanding of the importance of
One of the specific purposes of ClimaSouth MRV exists broadly across all ENPI South
is to provide technical assistance to partner countries and in many sectors of govern-
countries on Measurement, Reporting and ment, with the Ministries of Environment
Verification (MRV) and support them in deliv- being the entity on the lead with respect to
ering on their Nationally Determined Contri- mobilizing related efforts and resources;
butions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. • ENPI South countries have made consid-
MRV is the core obligation of the transpar- erable efforts in complying with their
ency framework of the United Nations Con- UNFCCC obligations on transparency
vention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and an and engage in MRV, both domestically
important instrument for strengthening the and internationally. Their capacity to do
capacity of countries to prepare for monitor- so in the timely manner mandated by the
ing and implementation of their NDCs. As Convention, however, is still developing;
such, MRV will play a pivotal role in building
international trust and confidence that the • the institutional and technical capacity
transformative climate action towards a low- of ENPI South countries to undertake
contents 7ClimaSouth Policy Paper TRANSPARENCY OF CLIMATE ACTION IN THE ENPI SOUTH REGION
MRV has progressed through external international support will have to remain
financial and technical support. Through consistent.
this, ENPI South countries have established
(or initiated to establish) domestic MRV The document is structured into four broad
structures to engage in international report- sections. Sections 1 and 2 outline the MRV
ing, tracking of emission levels, mitigation obligations under the UNFCCC and Paris
actions and support. Agreement, with the aim of familiarising
readers with the context in which the analy-
• several challenges, capacity building
sis took place. Sections 2 and 3 give an over-
gaps and needs, however, undermine
view of the status of MRV in the ENPI South
the establishment of robust MRV sys-
region and related challenges. Section 4 pre-
tems throughout the ENPI South Re-
sents the main conclusions while Section 5
gion. These include: the difficulty to mo-
contains detailed country profiles in annex
bilize the necessary inter-ministerial
format. Each ENPI South country is profiled
cooperation to operationalize them and
against their MRV obligations at the domes-
the lack of appropriate legal and regu-
tic and international levels, assessing the sta-
latory frameworks to support them; the
tus of their MRV systems and their level of
loss of progress made and inability to
compliance with what the UNFCCC broadly
build in-house MRV capacity; the lack
of appropriate links between MRV and mandates with regard to collection of GHG
the NDC implementation process. emission data, mitigation actions and sup-
port. The analysis further provides informa-
• ENPI South countries must continue to tion on the international support that ENPI
channel their efforts into strengthen- South countries have received to build their
ing their MRV capacity and operation- MRV capacity, citing specific projects, initia-
alizing the MRV structures already in tives and results achieved from which target
place. To achieve these goals, however, countries have benefitted.
8 contentsList of selected acronyms
bur Biennial Update Report
CBIT Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency
CGE Consultative Group of Experts
COP Conference of the Parties
ENPI European Neighbourhood Policy Instrument
FSV Facilitative Sharing of Views
GEF Global Environment Facility
GHG Greenhouse Gas
ICA International Consultation and Analysis
IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
INC Initial National Communication
LDCs Least Developed Countries
nc National Communication
indc Intended Nationally Determined Contribution
MRV Measurement, Reporting and Verification
NAMA Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions
ndc Nationally Determined Contribution
SBI Subsidiary Body for Implementation
SIDS Small Island Developing States
TTE Team of Technical Experts
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
UNEP United Nations Environment Programme
UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
contents 91. Introduction to MRV: UNFCCC OBLIGATIONS
FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
An effective transparency system which
MRV is the process whereby Parties take
provides information on the level of global
measures to collect data on their emis-
emissions over time and on the ambition of
sions, mitigation and adaptation actions,
country efforts to combat climate change
support needed and received, compile
at the national and the international level is
them in inventories and reports and sub-
one of the building blocks of international
ject them to a form of international re-
climate action.
view or analysis. This is key to build a trans-
The United Nations Framework Conven- parent system and enhance confidence
tion on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and later amongst Parties regarding the level of ambi-
the Kyoto Protocol laid the foundations for tion and progress on their commitments.
such a system,1 obliging all Parties to report
on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and The MRV framework of the UNFCCC is
removals, as well as on climate actions un- characterized by a strict differentiation
dertaken to mitigate and adapt to climate between developed and developing coun-
change and implement the Convention.2 try Parties, informed by the Annex I / non-
This system allows the Convention to gather Annex I division underpinning the Conven-
comprehensive information on the level of tion system. While all countries are obliged
emissions and track the ambition of country to report to the Convention on their GHG in-
efforts and related progress in climate ac- ventories and implementing actions, the con-
tion at the national and international levels. tent and timetable for submission of these
reports varies for developed and developing
Measurement, Reporting and Verification
country Parties in accordance with the princi-
(MRV) is a core element of the transparency ple of “Common but Differentiated Responsi-
framework under the UNFCCC and the more bilities” (CBDR) enshrined in the Convention.
recent Paris Agreement.
As section 2 will explain, this system has
been profoundly changed by the Paris
Agreement, which contains enhanced pro-
visions on transparency of climate action
applying broadly to all countries. The Paris
Agreement entered into force in October
1
Coined at COP13 in 2007 through the Bali Action Plan 2016, but it is expected to become opera-
(Decision 1/CP.13) and operationalized through subse- tional in 2020, once appropriate technical
quent COP decisions until 2013 (Decision 1/CP.16, Deci- rules, including on transparency, have been
sion 2/CP.17, Decision 19/CP.19, Decision 21/CP.19).
developed. This means that the transpar-
2
UNFCCC Article 12 and in accordance with Article 4, ency system of the UNFCCC will remain in
paragraph 4. place until then.
contents 11ClimaSouth Policy Paper TRANSPARENCY OF CLIMATE ACTION IN THE ENPI SOUTH REGION
For developing country Parties (non-Annex Non-Annex I Parties should submit their na-
I), the existing MRV framework under the UN- tional communications to the COP every
FCCC is composed of obligations at the inter- four years, taking into account the support
national level and national levels. they have been provided to do so.3
According to the latest UNFCCC guidelines,4
At the international level, the MRV frame- national communications from non-Annex
work includes: I Parties should contain at a minimum:
• Reporting through National Communi- • A description of national circumstanc-
cations (NCs) and Biennial Update Re- es and institutional arrangements,
ports (BURs) to provide an overview of the country’s
• Undergoing International Consultation vulnerability and capacity to adapt to cli-
and Analysis (ICA) mate change and address its GHG emis-
sions, and information on the distribu-
At the national level, the MRV framework tion of responsibilities within relevant
includes: government bodies
• Development of a domestic MRV system • A national GHG inventory, using the
suggested IPCC guidelines at a mini-
• Implementation of the international mum,* and choosing a methodology
MRV requirements that reflects the availability of data
• A general description of the high- level
A third, voluntary strand exists for non-
steps taken or envisaged to implement
Annex I countries wishing to undertake
the Convention, alongside information
REDD-plus activities to receive results-
on national programmes containing
based payments. *
measures to facilitate adequate adap-
* See UNFCCC Handbook on Measurement, Reporting
tation and mitigation of climate change
and Verification for Developing Country Parties, 2015, for • Any other relevant information on the
a more comprehensive analysis of this framework. achievement of the objectives of the
Convention (in relation to technology
transfer, research and systematic ob-
servation, education, training and public
awareness, capacity-building, informa-
1.1 National Communications tion and networking)
and Biennial Update Reports • Constraints and gaps and related finan-
cial, technical and capacity building needs
• An optional technical annex
National Communications (NCs) * http://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/index.html
Submitted periodically to the UNFCCC, they
3
Decision 1/CP.16. The submission timeframe is calcu-
are the core element of reporting on the pro-
lated since the receipt of financial resources for the actual
gress that countries make in implementing preparation of the national communication.
the Convention as well as their emissions by
sources and removals by sinks. 4
Decision 17/CP. 8, Annex.
12 contents1. Introduction to MRV: UNFCCC OBLIGATIONS FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIESFOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Biennial Update Reports (BURs) Developing countries are eligible to obtain
financial, technical and capacity building sup-
They provide an update on the information port from the UNFCCC in relation to MRV.
contained in the national communications
(GHG inventories and steps to implement
the Convention), but in addition request the Financial support: provided primarily
measurement of the specific mitigation ac- by the Global Environment Facility (GEF)
tions and their effects as well as the sup- as an operating entity under the Conven-
port needed and received. tion’s Financial Mechanism.
Non-annex I Parties have to submit BURs Countries can access up to USD 500,000
every two years, provided that they have through a GEF agency (UNDP, UNEP and
the capacity or have received appropriate the World Bank) or directly, by prepar-
support to do so. COP17 decided that the ing and submitting a project proposal to
first round of BURs submissions was due by the Facility following its suggested policy
December 2014. Subsequent BURs should be guidelines.* For BURs, non-Annex I Par-
submitted every two years either in the form ties can access up to USD 352,000.
of summary documents as parts of NCs, if sub-
mitted in the same year as the national com- * “GEF Policy guidelines for the financing of biennial upda-
munication is due, or as separate documents. te reports for Parties non included in Annex I to the Uni-
ted Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change”,
According to the latest UNFCCC guidelines,5 available at https://www.thegef.org/gef/guideline/bien-
BURs should contain at a minimum: nial_update_reports_parties_UNFCCC
• A description of national circumstances and institutional arrangements relevant to
the preparation of national communications
• A national GHG inventory including an inventory report, using the suggested method-
ologies prescribed by the latest UNFCCC guidelines
• Information on the mitigation actions and their effects,* providing inter alia a de-
scription of the mitigation action and its objectives, methodology used and assumptions,
qualitative and quantitative progress in the implementation and estimated outcomes
• Domestic MRV measures for mitigation actions and their effects, particularly for do-
mestically supported National Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs), if any (see infra
section 1.3)
• Constraints and gaps, and related financial, technical and capacity needs, including a
description of the support needed and received for the preparation of the BUR as well
as for the implementation of climate activities described in the BUR
• Any other relevant information on the achievement of the objectives of the Convention
• An optional technical annex.
* Mitigation actions by non-Annex I Parties can take different forms, i.e. economy-wide goals, specific policies and
programmes and project-level activities, National Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs). Parties are not required to
report on each and every mitigation action they take. Rather, they are encouraged to provide a snapshot of their miti-
gation actions according to the level of detail at which the action is implemented.
5
Decision 2/CP.17, annex III.
contents 13ClimaSouth Policy Paper TRANSPARENCY OF CLIMATE ACTION IN THE ENPI SOUTH REGION
gation actions and their effects by subject-
Technical support: provided through the ing the submitted BURs to a two-step process:
Consultative Group of Experts on National
Communications from Parties not includ-
• A technical analysis conducted by a
ed in Annex I to the Convention (CGE).*
team of technical experts (TTE) nomi-
Support is offered by: assisting with prob- nated by the UNFCCC and trained by the
lems and constraints identification, pro- CGE
cess facilitation and sustainability, set-
ting up and maintenance of appropriate • A facilitative sharing of views (FSV) in
institutional arrangements and national the form of a workshop organized un-
technical teams, providing recommenda- der the Convention’s Subsidiary Body
for Implementation (SBI)
tions for future revision of the guidelines
for preparation of NCs and BURs, provid-
ing advice on available financial sources ICA is conducted in a manner that is non-in-
at bilateral, regional and multilateral level trusive, non-punitive and respectful of na-
to support MRV, providing guidance on tional sovereignty. Its aim is not to discuss
how to integrate climate change consid- the appropriateness of the domestic climate
erations in relevant national policies. policies and actions that developing countries
The CGE also develops and organizes put forward according to their national priori-
relevant training programmes and work- ties, but rather to encourage a process of
shops to facilitate assistance to non-An- information-sharing that would contribute
nex I Parties in collaboration with bilateral to building the reporting capacity of devel-
and multilateral support programmes, oping countries and ultimately lead to an
using the CGE training materials.** improvement in the quality of their BURs
over time.
* Divided in four thematic groups: national GHG invento-
ries, vulnerability and adaptation assessments, mitigation
and cross-cutting issues which includes research and sy-
stematic observation, technology transfer, capacity-buil-
ding, education, training and public awareness, informa-
tion and networking and financial and technical support.
Technical Analysis
** Available here: http://unfccc.int/national_reports/non- The technical analysis of BURs (presented ei-
annex_i_natcom/cge/items/2608.php ther as summaries of parts of national com-
munications or as a separate reports) is con-
ducted in consultation with the submitting
country. It aims to verify to what extent key
1.2 International Consultation information - as per UNFCCC guidelines -
and Analysis has been included. This process allows the
TTE to identify eventual capacity-building
needs that, if addressed, could facilitate future
reporting in subsequent BURs and participa-
International Consultation and Analysis (ICA) is tion in ICA.
the ‘second step of international MRV for de-
veloping countries. It is a process which aims No later than three months from the start
to increase the transparency of their miti- of the technical analysis, the TTE produces a
14 contents1. Introduction to MRV: UNFCCC OBLIGATIONS FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
draft summary report of its analysis, which The record of the FSV, together with the
is then submitted to the concerned country final summary report of the TTE, consti-
for review and comments. The concerned tutes the final outcome of the whole ICA
country can submit comments on the draft process.
summary within three months of the receipt.
Finally, within the following three months, the COP17 set the first timeframe for BURs sub-
TTE produces a final summary report that in- mission in December 2014 and subsequent
corporates the results of this exchange, later rounds have been set until September 2016.
posted on the UNFCCC website. Additional As of October 2016, 34 non-Annex I Parties
technical comments can be provided volun- have submitted their BUR.
tarily by the country at any time throughout
the technical analysis process.
source: UNFCCC
Facilitative Sharing of Views
The FSV is convened at regular intervals in the
form of a workshop under the SBI. The work-
shop functions as an open exchange plat-
form open to all countries, prior to which
any country can submit to those undergo-
ing FSV questions on their reporting. Inter-
ested countries can then prepare answers to
these questions alongside presentations to
illustrate their BURs, which will then be used
during the workshop. The workshop gives the
possibility to interested countries to directly
address the questions received and provide
clarifications. The questions and answers are
then compiled by the UNFCCC Secretariat
and a record of the FSV is produced. source: UNFCCC
contents 15ClimaSouth Policy Paper TRANSPARENCY OF CLIMATE ACTION IN THE ENPI SOUTH REGION
The first workshop under the FSV was held As such, it is an essential system aiming to
at the Bonn Climate Change Conference on set and track progress towards domestic
20-21 May 2016. It saw the participation of climate goals and priorities, which also cov-
the 13 developing country Parties that have ers the domestic implementation aspects of
submitted their BURs between the first and international MRV requirements (NCs and
third submission timeframe (December BURs).
2014 – September 2015).
No specific guidelines exist for driving coun-
tries towards setting up sustainable, domes-
tic MRV institutional arrangements. However,
based on UNFCCC experience, a sound do-
1.3 National MRV obligations mestic MRV framework should be encom-
pass the following features:
BURs of non-Annex I Parties should provide • the establishment of national legal/formal
information on their domestic MRV, particu- arrangements;
larly with regard to Nationally Appropriate
Mitigation Actions (NAMAs).6 • the establishment and maintenance over
time of an appropriate coordination body;
A domestic MRV framework typically encom-
passes a set of domestic policies, processes • the undertaking of in-country institutional
and arrangements to enhance transparency and technical capacity building;
through the tracking of national GHG emis-
• the setting up and implementation of a
sion levels (MRV of emissions), the tracking
mechanism for stakeholder involvement.7
of climate finance flows received (MRV of
support) or the impacts of mitigation actions
(MRV of mitigation actions), such as NAMAs
or other policy or regulatory interventions.
6
Introduced in the climate negotiations in 2007 throu-
gh the Bali Action Plan, NAMAs refer to mitigation actions
undertaken by developing country Parties with the aim to
achieve a deviation in GHG emissions relative to ‘business
as usual’ emissions in 2020. NAMAs can be undertaken
with a country’s own financial support (domestically sup-
ported NAMAs) or with international support, including
capacity-building, finance or technology (internationally
supported NAMAs). NAMAs can take various forms, ran-
ging from policy or regulatory interventions at the natio-
nal or sectoral level to project-based actions targeting
specific investments or a given technology. Aside from
the goal of emissions mitigation and the need for MRV,
there is almost no limitation for the type of action that
could be taken as a NAMA. Both domestically and inter-
nationally supported NAMAs are subjected to a domestic
MRV framework and reported in the BURs as part of their 7
See UNFCCC Handbook on Measurement, Reporting
mitigation actions. and Verification for Developing Country Parties, 2015.
16 contents1. Introduction to MRV: UNFCCC OBLIGATIONS FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
source: World Resources Institute
More specific guidance exists on MRV in the context of NAMA development, provided that
countries have the capacity to do so. In this regard, UNFCCC COP guidelines recommend the
inclusion of the following three key elements in their BURs8:
• A description of the overall institutional arrangements, similar to that contained in
NCs, including information on relevant structures, methodologies and expertise. Coun-
tries are encouraged to utilize existing processes, arrangements and systems, but they
can also voluntarily set up new domestic systems and processes
• A description of the approach to measure domestically supported NAMAs, includ-
ing specific methodologies and documentation processes and institutional arrange-
ments in place
• A description of the approach used to conduct domestic verification of the infor-
mation (experts engaged and relevant mechanisms)
8
Decision 21/CP.19.The application of these guidelines remains voluntary, and they are informed by a pragmatic,
non-prescriptive, non-intrusive and country-driven approach.
contents 172. MRV in the Paris Agreement
Transparency and accountability of climate
action, and therefore MRV, is the backbone • A national inventory report of their
of the Paris Agreement. It is a vital instru- GHG emissions and removals, using
ment for building international trust and the appropriate IPCC methodologies
confidence that the transformative climate • Information necessary to track pro-
action towards a low-carbon future called by gress made in implementing and
the Agreement is taking place broadly across achieving their nationally deter-
countries. mined contributions (NDCs)* under
Article 4
Article 13 of the Agreement sets out a bind-
ing, common international MRV system • Information related to climate change
largely informed by flexibility and therefore impacts and adaptation, financial,
capable of taking into account the different technology transfer and capacity-
capabilities of State Parties in a manner that building support provided and re-
is no longer based upon the strict - and ceived (for developed and developing
outdated - Annex I / non-Annex I division countries, respectively)
of the UNFCCC.
* NDCs are at the core of the universally agreed, legally
This means that the new MRV framework of
binding mitigation system put in place by the Paris Agree-
the Paris Agreement takes into account that ment. In Paris, governments took a commitment to com-
the status of countries as developing or de- municate internationally the steps they will take to ad-
veloped has changed drastically from the sit- dress climate change in their own countries. Based on the
Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs)
uation in 1992. In doing so, it sets out com-
submitted before and after COP21, NDCs will reflect each
mon transparency provisions that apply country’s ambition for reducing emissions, taking into ac-
to all countries, but with a built-in flexibil- count their domestic circumstances and capabilities. The
ity that respects their different capacities Paris Agreement also calls for the submission of NDCs to
be guided by the principles of environmental integrity,
and no longer differentiates the content and
transparency, accuracy, completeness, comparability and
timetables of the reporting obligations be- consistency, and avoidance of double counting. Guidance
tween developed and developing countries. for accounting methodologies to be used in NDCs is ex-
pected to be developed and adopted by 2020.
The transparency framework of the Paris
Agreement brings all countries together
This information is to be submitted at a mini-
into a common process for providing en-
mum every two years by every country,
hanced data and tracking their progress in
relation to respecting their commitments with additional flexibility for Least Developed
on mitigation, adaptation and support pro- Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Develop-
vided and received. In this respect, the Paris ing States (SIDS).9
Agreement obliges all countries to regu-
larly provide the following information: 9
Decision 1/CP.21.
contents 19ClimaSouth Policy Paper TRANSPARENCY OF CLIMATE ACTION IN THE ENPI SOUTH REGION
Appropriate modalities, procedures and In addition, the technical expert review pro-
guidelines under which countries and other cess is also called to pay particular atten-
actors will report and account for their cli- tion to assessing the national capabilities
mate actions under the Paris Agreement are and circumstances of developing country
not yet in place. They are expected to build Parties, and assisting them in identifying
on and “eventually supersede” the current capacity-building needs and areas of im-
MRV system of the UNFCCC by 2018, and be provement, especially for LDCs and SIDS.
formally adopted by 2020 – in time for the
next round of NDCs and the entry into force To this end, the Paris Agreement requested
of the Agreement. 10 the GEF to establish a Capacity-building
Initiative for Transparency (CBIT).12 The
Similarly to the UNFCCC system, Article 13 scope of this initiative is to strengthen the in-
of the Paris Agreement also establishes an stitutional and technical capacity of develop-
international verification process of the ing countries and support them in meeting
information submitted by countries in their their requirements under the Agreement
reports. However, contrary to the UNFCCC, leading up to 2020 and beyond.13
this process is harmonized for all coun-
tries and able to hold them accountable By the time the Paris Agreement becomes op-
towards meeting their obligations. erational, many developing countries may
have submitted only one BUR and under-
In particular, the information submitted by gone ICA only once. This may limit the ex-
Parties under the Paris transparency frame- perience that developing countries may draw
work is expected to undergo a common tech- on for engaging in ambitious climate action.
nical expert review process focused on: As such, the CBIT is expected to play a key
role for building the MRV capacity of de-
• reviewing efforts on climate finance under- veloping countries in the future and, by
taken by developed countries, and doing so, contributing to a successful imple-
• considering the level of implementation of mentation of the Paris Agreement.
NDCs by all countries.11
This means that, in contrast to the UNFCCC 12
Decision 1/CP.21, para. 86.
ICA process, which focuses only on increas-
13
The architecture of the CBIT was established at the
ing the transparency of actions and fostering
GEF Council meeting held in June 2016, during which the
information-sharing by developing countries, creation of a CBIT Trust Fund was proposed. The CBIT
the enhanced review process of the Paris Trust Fund will be governed by the GEF Council and have
Agreement also focus on the implementa- the World Bank acting as its Trustee. The CBIT will com-
tion and level of achievement of their na- bine the contributions of multiple donors on the basis of
tional climate actions expressed through individual agreements between the donor and the Tru-
stee. Its proposed programming priorities cover activities
their NDCs.
at the national and regional levels, including: building the
capacity of national institutions, providing tools training
and assistance to meet the provision of Article 13 of the
Agreement, improving the transparency over time and
10
Decision 1/CP.21, par. 99. serving as a global coordination platform to engage in-
terested stakeholders and entities in creating synergies
11
Article 13, para 11. between existing capacity-building initiatives.
20 contents2. MRV in the Paris Agreement
Besides undergoing the technical expert re-
view process, all countries under the Paris
Agreement are also called to participate in a
facilitative, multilateral dialogue on con-
sideration of their progress (to take place
in 2018 and subsequently every five years
under the name of ‘global stocktake’ start-
ing from 2023).14 This dialogue aims to ad-
dress implementation questions, particularly
regarding provisions on climate finance and
NDC implementation, and promote compli-
ance in a facilitative and transparent way.
Ultimately, this process is expected to bring
countries together into a public exposure
platform where each country will be able
to evaluate and analyse the commitments
of their peers and their respective levels of
compliance on the basis of the inputs pro-
vided through the transparency framework.
The details of the transparency system
under the Paris Agreement are to be
worked out in the forthcoming COPs. This
process will be critical for the establishment
of a sound, harmonized transparency and
accountability framework that in turn will
“provide a clear understanding of climate
change action” (Article 13) and guide both
developed and developing country Parties
towards meeting their obligations under the
Agreement.
14
Article 13, para 11.
contents 213. MRV CAPACITY in the ENPI South Region
The ten countries and territories of the South While a more in-depth profiling of each coun-
Mediterranean region covered by the Eu- try of the ENPI South region against their
ropean Neighbourhood Policy Instrument MRV obligations is given in the annexes of the
South (ENPI South), namely Algeria, Egypt, present document, a comparative overview
Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Pal- of the MRV capacity points to the existence
estine, Syria, and Tunisia, are all Parties to the of a number of common challenges faced
UNFCCC.15 Under the Kyoto Protocol, they by ENPI South countries. These challenges
classify as developing (non-Annex I) Parties. relate in particular to the difficulty of building
national institutional capacities to undertake
All ENPI South countries have signed the Par- comprehensive MRV across climate-relevant
is Agreement on 22 April 2016, and, as of 20 sectors.
October 2016, two of them have ratified it.16
An awareness of climate change and an
From a general standpoint, the capacity of understanding of the importance of MRV
ENPI South countries to develop and imple- and related UNFCCC reporting obligations
ment robust climate policies remains large- generally exists in many sectors of govern-
ly dependent on the availability of finan- ment, particularly the Ministries of Envi-
cial, technical and technological support ronment, which are responsible for climate
by international donors or more devel- change in all ENPI South countries.
oped countries. This factor, coupled with
the overall political instability in the area, cre- The vast majority of countries have made
ates a diversified picture of climate poli- considerable efforts to comply with their UN-
cy, and points to a notable differentiation FCCC reporting obligations and to engage in
between countries in their capability to international MRV in accordance with their
comply with UNFCCC obligations. respective capacities to do so (see table 1).
The capacity of the ENPI South region to carry
out comprehensive MRV and fulfil the report-
ing requirements under the UNFCCC is no
exception to the scenario described above.
15
The EU has temporarily suspended cooperation with
Syria until further notice. The present document delibera-
tely omits any further reference to Syria.
16
Palestine has ratified it on the same day as the signa-
ture. Morocco has ratified in September 2016.
contents 23ClimaSouth Policy Paper TRANSPARENCY OF CLIMATE ACTION IN THE ENPI SOUTH REGION
Table 1. Status of submission of National Communications and Biennial Update Reports of ENPI South Region
countries (as of October 2016)
Country Initial National Second National Third National Biennial Update
Communication Communication Communication Report
Algeria 30 April 2001 25 November 2010
Egypt 19 July 1999 7 June 2010
Israel 18 November 2000 7 December 2010 18 April 2016
GHG Inventories
updated on 23 No-
vember 2015
Jordan 6 March 1997 8 December 2009 2 December 2014
Libya
Lebanon 2 November 1999 16 March 2011 13 October 2015
22 September 2016
(summary and tech-
nical reports of ICA)
Morocco 1 November 2001 3 November 2010 7 May 2016 7 May 2016
Palestine
Tunisia 27 October 2001 14 February 2014 31 December 2014
17 February 2016
(summary and tech-
nical reports of ICA)
With very few exceptions, most ENPI South countries have submitted up to two NCs. The
rather large time gaps between submissions, although consistent with the general trend
of most non-Annex I countries, suggest that the ENPI South region is still developing the
capacity to undertake international MRV in the timely manner mandated by the UN-
FCC. Nonetheless, the submission of BURs by four countries out of the nine analysed (with
two of them undergoing of ICA), points to positive progress being made with respect to
the willingness of countries in the region to subject their national conditions to the
Convention’s transparency system. These results have been largely fostered by the receiv-
ing of financial and technical support to do so.
All ENPI South countries have received international support, from UNFCCC financial enti-
ties and/or international organizations and foreign governments, to build their capacity
to report to the UNFCCC through NCs and BURs and, more broadly, build their MRV frame-
works at the domestic level.
24 contents3. MRV CAPACITY in the ENPI South Region
In most cases, the support was provided on and responsibilities to different entities in
a project basis and/or through employing charge of activities that are MRV-relevant.
external resources, with a focus on achiev- Activities in this respect include policymak-
ing results related to: ing and implementation progress track-
ing, national GHG inventories, air quality
• the training of ministerial and/or tech- measurement systems, mitigation actions
nical staff on relevant GHG data collec- and more recently, (I)NDC preparation. In
tion, management and methodologies many cases, however, these structures
(Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Mo- are not yet operational due the lack of
rocco, Tunisia); appropriate legal frameworks (i.e. Egypt,
• the development of integrated GHG in- Jordan, Tunisia) or the great difficulties
ventory systems (Jordan, Lebanon, Pales- they face in coordinating their man-
tine, Morocco, Tunisia); dates with existing structures belonging
to government departments that do not
• the development of Quality Assurance directly deal with climate change, but are
and Control (QA/QC) systems (Israel, nonetheless climate-relevant and there-
Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine); fore MRV-relevant (i.e. Algeria, Lebanon,
Morocco). This holds true particularly for
• the identification, development and fi-
the need to ensure information flows re-
nancing of potential mitigation actions
lated to GHG emission data, as many in-
(i.e. NAMAs) in different sectors (Algeria,
stitutional frameworks are not support-
Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco,
ed by specific reporting obligations that
Tunisia).
apply widely across sectors. As such,
many of the institutional entities in charge
of climate change, which are usually within
The support provided has been instrumental the Ministries of Environment, often strug-
in helping targeted countries build their do- gle to cooperate with entities from other
mestic MRV capacity. Nonetheless, a number line Ministries to obtain the data that is
of challenges, capacity building gaps and necessary to undertake comprehensive
needs undermine the establishment of reporting.
robust MRV systems throughout the ENPI
South Region. • the creation of in-house MRV capacity
and loss of progress achieved. As the
Some of the overarching challenges and gaps ENPI South region benefits from financial
identified by ClimaSouth relate to: and technical support on MRV through
• the operationalization of existing insti- external resources and on a project basis,
tutional frameworks that encompass the progress achieved by targeted coun-
relevant institutional entities, neces- tries is not always built in-house nor
sary staff, systems and processes. Most maintained throughout time. In some
ENPI South countries (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, instance (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco),
Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tu- targeted countries employ the support re-
nisia) have established institutional struc- ceived for the preparation of their NCs or
tures – some more advanced than oth- BURs by engaging a team of external con-
ers – for climate change, attributing roles sultants to carry out research, data gather-
contents 25ClimaSouth Policy Paper TRANSPARENCY OF CLIMATE ACTION IN THE ENPI SOUTH REGION
ing and compilation. This, however, results ria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia) include
in the inability of local staff to build and specific reference to MRV (see table 2). This
keep in-house expertise. In other cases is an encouraging indication of the fact that
(Lebanon, Libya, Tunisia), the discontinu- many countries recognize the importance
ous nature of the available funding results of building solid MRV structures as part of
in a loss of sustainability of the results their efforts to implement their NDCs under
achieved, affecting the ability of targeted the Paris Agreement. Despite this, the chal-
institutions to build up on the technical lenges previously outlined are very likely
knowledge amassed throughout the pro- to also impact this process. In particular,
ject and maintain the benefits over time. the difficulty of ENPI South countries to
pursue engagement in MRV by institutions
• the establishment of appropriate insti- other than the Ministry of Environment may
tutional links between MRV frameworks severely hinder the achievement of the
and the NDC implementation process. inter-ministerial cooperation that is es-
Most ENPI South countries have submitted sential to move forward with the NDC
an INDC. However, only five of them (Alge- implementation.
26 contents3. MRV CAPACITY in the ENPI South Region
Table 2. INDCs/NDCs of ENPI South Region countries (as of October 2016)
Country Uncon- Condi- Target Refer- Conditions for Imple- Reference to MRV
ditional tional year ence mentation / Financial
target target Support Required
Algeria 7% 22%* 2030 BAU High end of the range Establishment of nation-
conditional to support in al MRV system between
terms of external financ- 2016-2020
ing, technology develop-
ment & transfer and
capacity building
Egypt To 2030 N/A Financial contributions Development of MRV
achieve required for implement- system as part of na-
“high CO2 ing the INDCs for both tional comprehensive
mitigation adaptation and mitiga- emission reduction
levels” tions estimated at 73.04 program
billion USD
Israel 26% 2030 2005 N/A
Jordan 1.5% 14% 2030 BAU Upper bound conditional Efforts to put in place
to availability of interna- MRV system for GHG
tional financial aid (esti- inventory and mitigation
mated at USD 5,157 mil- actions (i.e. NAMAs)
lion) and support to means
of implementation
Libya
Lebanon 15% 30% 2030 BAU Upper bound implement- MRV of emissions,
ed upon the provision of mitigation actions and
additional international support as essential
support component of NDC
implementation; to be
integrated into existing
reporting processes and
structures
Morocco 17% 42% 2030 BAU The high end of the range
(NDC) is conditional on gaining
“access to new sources of
finance and to additional
support relative to support
received in recent years”
Palestine
Tunisia 13% 41% 2030 2010 The upper bound of the MRV of emissions,
range is conditional on the mitigation actions and
support of the internation- support as part of its
al community for funding national mitigation
(estimated USD 18 billion strategy
+ 2 billion for adaptation),
capacity building and tech-
nology transfer
* Global target inclusive of the unconditional one.
contents 274. CONCLUSIONs
In order for international climate action to be process of building) domestic institutional
effectively tracked, it needs to be reported structures to engage in international re-
and accounted for by all countries through porting, tracking of GHG emission levels,
active engagement in the UNFCCC transpar- mitigation actions undertaken (i.e. NA-
ency processes. This is critical to promote MAs) and support received.
mutual trust and confidence widely across
nations to raise the level of ambition of their Despite this, most ENPI South countries
own response to the challenge of climate continue to face several challenges and
change. experience many capacity building gaps,
particularly when it comes to operational-
With the entry into force of the Paris Agree- izing the MRV structures and mechanisms
ment, MRV is expected to play the crucial they have established. This was observed
role of serving as the global blueprint for as being due to a number of overarching fac-
reporting and accounting for climate ac- tors, such as:
tion undertaken by all countries, keeping
track of their progress with regard to imple- • the difficulty in mobilizing inter-ministerial
menting the Agreement, including through cooperation widely across all climate-rele-
achieving their NDCs. vant sectors, and
In this context, it is important that developing • the lack of appropriate legal frameworks
countries continue to step up their efforts to and rules coordinating MRV mandates,
strengthen their institutional and technical cross-sectoral reporting and GHG data
capacity to adequately report to the UNFCCC, flows.
while mutually benefitting from each other’s
experience. Central to achieving this goal,
however, remains the necessity to provide In addition to this, many ENPI South coun-
developing countries with adequate fi- tries experience difficulty in creating do-
nancial and technical capacity-building mestic MRV capacity (particularly on re-
support in relation to MRV. porting) and loss of progress achieved.
Some countries use the support received
The situation analysed in the ENPI South re- to employ external resources, especially
gion shows that, largely through internation- for the undertaking of reporting tasks (re-
al support, countries have made consider- search, data collection and compilation).
able progress – albeit at a different pace This often results in the inability of local
and with different results – in the devel- staff to build and keep in-house exper-
opment of their MRV capacity. Under the tise. In other instances, the project-based
leadership of their Ministries of Environment, nature of the support received does not al-
most countries have built (or initiated the ways allow targeted countries to build on
contents 29ClimaSouth Policy Paper TRANSPARENCY OF CLIMATE ACTION IN THE ENPI SOUTH REGION
the progress achieved and maintain the manner and on a continuous basis. This will
sustainability of results throughout time. be essential to meet their reporting require-
ments under the UNFCCC and gain the nec-
These challenges become all the more acute essary experience to eventually meet those
in a post-Paris scenario, especially consider- under the Paris Agreement.
ing their implications on the ability of ENPI
South countries to pursue the extensive do-
However, ENPI South countries cannot be
mestic institutional mobilization outside their
expected to achieve these goals on their
Ministries of Environment that is required to
own. International support to the ENPI
prepare for implementation and monitor-
South region on MRV, both technical and fi-
ing of NDCs.
nancial, will have to remain consistent, if not
From this perspective, it is crucial that ENPI intensify, in the coming years, so as to en-
South countries continue to channel their sure the scaling up of the progress made. As
efforts into strengthening their domestic the approaches that countries have taken
MRV capacity, operationalizing existing vary widely, moreover, the support provid-
structures, enhancing and streamlining ed will have to meet their individual needs
communication among key ministries and and be in line with their national priorities.
agencies. Having proper national institution- All of these efforts will be critical to enable
al arrangements in place will help them en- the ENPI South region to develop compre-
sure that nationally appropriate procedures hensive and sustainable MRV systems, and
for collecting, processing, reporting and ar- ultimately put targeted countries on the
chiving required data and information are transformational path towards a low-carbon
established and operational in a sustainable future called for by the Paris Agreement.
30 contents5. ANNEX: mrv CAPACITY PROFILES
OF ENPI south COUNTRIES
The sections below profile the ENPI South 5.1 Algeria
countries against their MRV obligations un-
der the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement, both
at the international and domestic levels. Each Algeria has submitted two NCs in 2001 and
country profile provides a general overview 2010, respectively, but has not yet submitted
of the status of submission of NCs and BURs. a BUR. The large time between the NC sub-
Additional information is provided on the missions, coupled with the non-submission of
status of each country’s MRV capacity, ana- a BUR, suggests that Algeria has not yet de-
lysing the domestic MRV arrangements for veloped the necessary institutional capacity
emissions, mitigation action and support and nor received appropriate financial or technical
related future priorities for capacity-building support to adequately report on its national
on the basis of data contained in NCs, BURs climate-related circumstances internationally.
and existing support projects undertaken Reporting to the UNFCCC is typically done by
by international donors. Furthermore, each engaging a team of consultants to develop the
country profile includes an analysis of the national GHGs inventory and gathering the
status of preparation of NAMAs – and related appropriate data and information. All relevant
MRV systems – and submission to the UNF- ministries and departments are involved in
CCC NAMA Registry,17 alongside appropriate the elaboration of National Communications.
reference to the presence of MRV pledges in The third NC is currently under prepara-
their INDCs/NDCs. tion with support from UNDP.
On GHG emission reporting, Algeria has con-
ducted and published two national GHG in-
ventories in line with the IPCC guidelines: the
first in 1996, which is reported on in the first
NC, and the second in 2000, which is report-
ed on in the second NC.
17
Countries are invited to submit information on their
NAMAs to the UNFCCC Secretariat, which then includes The national entity entrusted with preparing
them in a publicly available online platform known as
inventories of GHG emissions is the National
NAMA Registry. Its purpose is to increase opportunities
for implementation and recognition of NAMAs underta-
Agency for Climate Change (ANCC), which
ken by developing countries. The registry, in particular, was created in 2005 but only operational-
allows developing countries to record information for all ized in 2015. The Agency’s primary mission
NAMAs seeking support for development or implementa- is to contribute to the protection of the en-
tion, whether they are smaller individual projects or larger vironment by assisting with the integration
national initiatives by sector. Parties are also encouraged
of climate change impact concerns in de-
to enter information for NAMAs that they have implemen-
ted using domestic resources (thus without external sup-
velopment plans. Additionally, the ANCC is
port) in order to be recognized for their mitigation efforts. charged with researching, synthesizing and
contents 31ClimaSouth Policy Paper TRANSPARENCY OF CLIMATE ACTION IN THE ENPI SOUTH REGION
engaging with the public regarding: (i) GHG As part of its INDC submitted in September
emissions and sequestration and (ii) mitiga- 2015, Algeria foresees the establishment of
tion and adaptation to climate change im- a national MRV system between 2016 and
pacts. Following from this mission, the ANCC 2020. The national MRV system is envisaged
is responsible for engaging in capacity build- as one of the four pillars on which Algeria’s
ing, establishing and maintaining a climate climate action is to be based. These pillars in-
change database, aggregating weather data clude: enhancing the role of ANCC, promoting
and preparing periodic reports, and coordi- coordination and monitoring through the Na-
nating climate change responses across dif- tional Climate Committee, implementing the
ferent government and industry sectors. roadmap guiding climate action and defining
a national climate strategy that is the National
Besides ANCC, Algeria’s institutional frame- Climate Plan, and establishing a national MRV
work for climate change includes: system. To achieve these goals, Algeria recog-
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), which nizes the need to receive appropriate techni-
acts as the UNFCCC National Focal Point cal support and capacity building.
and liaises with donor activities A CGE workshop conducted in Algeria in 2011
• Directorate of Climate Change within suggests that climate-related data are central-
the Ministry of Water Resource and En- ized amongst different ministries and that co-
vironment, entrusted with setting and operation and data-sharing between con-
implementing climate change policies and cerned authorities remains a challenge.
strategies and communicating with key The development of an integrated GHG in-
ministers on climate issues ventory system linked to all line Ministries
is therefore required. Data on emissions
• National Climate Committee, headed by from the private sector, moreover, remains
the Minister in charge of Environment and largely unavailable, and involvement of re-
composed of representatives of other min- searchers, universities and laboratories in the
isterial departments. It was established in process is not yet fully developed. Further
2015 for the preparation of the INDC and institutional capacity and greater involve-
entrusted with assessing mitigation and ment of the private sector and non-State
adaption related policies, strategies and actors are required to support the establish-
actions, as well as proposing measures to ment of a comprehensive and permanent
guarantee the implementation of Algeria’s MRV system at the national level.
commitments under the UNFCCC
As of October 2016, Algeria has not formally
• Focal points for climate change within Min- submitted any NAMAs to the NAMA Registry
istries. for support in preparation or implementa-
tion, or to implement using domestic re-
The cooperation between ANCC and other sources. However, two NAMA feasibility
relevant government agencies involved in the studies have been conducted: one for the
MRV, however, has not yet been formalized. development of solar power plants and an-
Moreover, despite having an institutional cli- other one on energy efficiency in residential
mate change framework as described above, buildings.18
Algeria has yet no law or decree regulating
annual GHG data reporting nationally. 18
http://www.nama-database.org/index.php/Algeria
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