Gender Mandates in Climate Policy

The Conference of the Parties,

Recalling decisions 3/CP.4, 2.CP.12, 1/CP.16, 2/CP.16 and 8/CP.19,

Welcoming the progress made by the Board of the Green Climate Fund in operationalizing the Green Climate Fund,

Noting that the fifth review of the Financial Mechanism focused on the Global Environment Facility owing to the fact that the Green Climate Fund is still developing its operations and that therefore it was premature to review many aspects of the Green Climate Fund,

1. Welcomes with appreciation the expert input to the fifth review of the Financial Mechanism provided by the Standing Committee on Finance, contained in the technical paper referred to in paragraph 3 below;

2. Encourages the Standing Committee on Finance to build on the same methodology and criteria in future reviews of the Financial Mechanism;

3. Acknowledges the executive summary of the technical paper on the fifth review1 , as contained in the annex, including the conclusions and recommendations made by the Standing Committee on Finance;

4. Encourages the operating entities of the Financial Mechanism to address, as appropriate, these recommendations in their future work, particularly with regard to the complementarity between the operating entities of the Financial Mechanism;

5. Recognizes the general positive assessment of the performance of the Global Environment Facility;

6. Notes, however, that the least developed countries and small island developing States still experience challenges in accessing the resources from the Global Environment Facility;

7. Decides to consider the timing of guidance provided by the Conference of the Parties to the operating entities of the Financial Mechanism, especially that guidance which has resource implications vis-à-vis the replenishment cycles of the operating entities of the Financial Mechanism, in order to ensure that key guidance is fully considered in the programming strategies and policy recommendations associated with each replenishment period of the operating entities of the Financial Mechanism;

8. Also decides to initiate the sixth review of the Financial Mechanism at its twentysecond session (November 2016), in accordance with the criteria contained in the guidelines annexed to decision 8/CP.19, or as these guidelines may be subsequently amended;

9. Requests the Standing Committee on Finance to provide expert input to the sixth review of the Financial Mechanism in 2017 with a view to the review being completed by the Conference of the Parties at its twenty-third session (November 2017). 

Annex

Executive summary of the technical paper on the fifth review of the Financial Mechanism 

II. Key insights, conclusions and possible recommendations

A. Governance

3. Gender-sensitive approaches

15. The sub-study on gender mainstreaming made in the context of the fifth overall performance study of the GEF found that the GEF secretariat had made significant efforts to implement a gender mainstreaming policy, while there was scope for improvement in the application of the policy by GEF agencies. In addition, the policy recommendation of the sixth replenishment period of the GEF on further work on gender mainstreaming emphasized that more concerted efforts need to be made in order to enhance gender mainstreaming within the GEF. Accordingly, the GEF secretariat is currently developing a Gender Action Plan, which will identify ways to enhance gender mainstreaming, including the use of relevant gender-sensitive indicators and sex-disaggregated data. The Action Plan will be presented to the GEF Council in October 2014.

16. In the light of the provisions of its governing instrument to take a Fund-wide “gender-sensitive approach”, the GCF has committed to integrating gender considerations in its procedures and operational modalities. At its seventh meeting, the GCF Board approved an initial results management framework with provisions for sex-disaggregated indicators, including initial criteria for assessing programmes and projects proposals that include gender aspects. The GCF secretariat is currently preparing a draft gender action policy and action plan for consideration by the Board at its meeting in October 2014.

Conclusion and recommendation

17. The GEF has made considerable progress in mainstreaming gender into its activities. Since there is scope for improvement, an action plan is to be approved by the GEF Council in October 2014 and the results of this progress are expected to be reflected in the programmes and projects of the GEF.

18. In developing its own approach to gender mainstreaming, the GCF could build on the experience of the GEF. It is recommended that gender equality be integrated in the structure and organization of the GCF itself, and that gender-sensitive criteria be taken into account in funding approvals of the Fund.

To read the full annex, see the link here.

The Conference of the Parties,

Reiterating that the work of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action shall be under the Convention and guided by its principles,

Recalling the objective of the Convention as set out in its Article 2,

Also recalling all the relevant decisions of the Conference of the Parties, particularly decisions 1/CP.17, 2/CP.18 and 1/CP.19,

Affirming its determination to strengthen adaptation action through the protocol, another legal instrument or agreed outcome with legal force under the Convention to be adopted at the twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties (November-December 2015),

Recalling decisions 2/CP.19 and 2/CP.20 and welcoming the progress made in Lima, Peru, towards the implementation of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage associated with Climate Change Impacts,

Noting with grave concern the significant gap between the aggregate effect of Parties’ mitigation pledges in terms of global annual emissions of greenhouse gases by 2020 and aggregate emission pathways consistent with having a likely chance of holding the increase in global average temperature below 2 °C or 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels,

1. Confirms that the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action shall complete the work referred to in decision 1/CP.17, paragraph 2, as early as possible in order for the Conference of the Parties at its twenty-first session to adopt a protocol, another legal instrument or an agreed outcome with legal force under the Convention applicable to all Parties;

2. Decides that the protocol, another legal instrument or agreed outcome with legal force under the Convention applicable to all Parties shall address in a balanced manner, inter alia, mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology development and transfer, and capacity-building, and transparency of action and support;

3. Underscores its commitment to reaching an ambitious agreement in 2015 that reflects the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in light of different national circumstances;

4. Urges developed country Parties to provide and mobilize enhanced financial support to developing country Parties for ambitious mitigation and adaptation actions, especially to Parties that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change; and recognizes complementary support by other Parties;

5. Acknowledges the progress made in Lima in elaborating the elements for a draft negotiating text as contained in the annex;

6. Decides that the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action will intensify its work, with a view to making available a negotiating text for a protocol, another legal instrument or an agreed outcome with legal force under the Convention applicable to all Parties before May 2015;

7. Requests the secretariat to communicate the negotiating text referred to in paragraph 6 above to Parties in accordance with provisions of the Convention and the applied rules of procedure, while noting that such communication will not prejudice whether the outcome will be a protocol, another legal instrument or an agreed outcome with legal force under the Convention applicable to all Parties;

8. Notes that the arrangements specified in this decision in relation to intended nationally determined contributions are without prejudice to the legal nature and content of the intended nationally determined contributions of Parties or to the content of the protocol, another legal instrument or agreed outcome with legal force under the Convention applicable to all Parties;

9. Reiterates its invitation to each Party to communicate to the secretariat its intended nationally determined contribution towards achieving the objective of the Convention as set out in its Article 2;

10. Agrees that each Party’s intended nationally determined contribution towards achieving the objective of the Convention as set out in its Article 2 will represent a progression beyond the current undertaking of that Party;

11. Also agrees that the least developed countries and small island developing States may communicate information on strategies, plans and actions for low greenhouse gas emission development reflecting their special circumstances in the context of intended nationally determined contributions;

12. Invites all Parties to consider communicating their undertakings in adaptation planning or consider including an adaptation component in their intended nationally determined contributions;

13. Reiterates its invitation to all Parties to communicate their intended nationally determined contributions well in advance of the twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties (by the first quarter of 2015 by those Parties ready to do so) in a manner that facilitates the clarity, transparency and understanding of the intended nationally determined contributions;

14. Agrees that the information to be provided by Parties communicating their intended nationally determined contributions, in order to facilitate clarity, transparency and understanding, may include, as appropriate, inter alia, 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 intended nationally determined contribution is fair and ambitious, in light of its national circumstances, and how it contributes towards achieving the objective of the Convention as set out in its Article 2;

15. Reiterates its call to developed country Parties, the operating entities of the Financial Mechanism and any other organizations in a position to do so to provide support for the preparation and communication of the intended nationally determined contributions of Parties that may need such support;

16. Requests the secretariat to:

(a) Publish on the UNFCCC website the intended nationally determined contributions as communicated;

(b) Prepare by 1 November 2015 a synthesis report on the aggregate effect of the intended nationally determined contributions communicated by Parties by 1 October 2015;

17. Encourages all Parties to the Kyoto Protocol to ratify and implement the Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol;

18. Reiterates its resolve as set out in decision 1/CP.19, paragraphs 3 and 4, to accelerate the full implementation of the decisions constituting the agreed outcome pursuant to decision 1/CP.13 and enhance ambition in the pre-2020 period in order to ensure the highest possible mitigation efforts under the Convention by all Parties;

19. Decides to continue the technical examination of opportunities with high mitigation potential, including those with adaptation, health and sustainable development co-benefits, in the period 2015–2020, by requesting the secretariat to:

(a) Organize a series of in-session technical expert meetings which:

• (i) Facilitate Parties in the identification of policy options, practices and technologies and in planning for their implementation in accordance with nationally defined development priorities
• (ii) Build on and utilize the related activities of, and further enhance collaboration and synergies among, the Technology Executive Committee, the Climate Technology Centre and Network, the Durban Forum on capacity-building, the Executive Board of the clean development mechanism and the operating entities of the Financial Mechanism;
• (iii) Build on previous technical expert meetings in order to hone and focus on actionable policy options;
• (iv) Provide meaningful and regular opportunities for the effective engagement of experts from Parties, relevant international organizations, civil society, indigenous peoples, women, youth, academic institutions, the private sector, and subnational authorities nominated by their respective countries;
• (v) Support the accelerated implementation of policy options and enhanced mitigation action, including through international cooperation;
• (vi) Facilitate the enhanced engagement of all Parties through the announcement of topics to be addressed, agendas and related materials at least two months in advance of technical expert meetings;

(b) Update, following the technical expert meetings referred to in paragraph 19(a) above, the technical paper on the mitigation benefits of actions, and on initiatives and options to enhance mitigation ambition, compiling information provided in submissions from Parties and observer organizations and the discussions held at the technical expert meetings and drawing on other relevant information on the implementation of policy options at all levels, including through multilateral cooperation;

(c) Disseminate the information referred to in paragraph 19(b) above, including by publishing a summary for policymakers;

20. Requests the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action to make recommendations in relation to further advancing the technical examination process, including the periodic assessment of the technical expert meetings, to the Conference of the Parties at its twenty-first session;

21. Welcomes the Lima Climate Action High-level Meeting convened by the President of the Conference of the Parties on 11 December 2014 and encourages the Executive Secretary and the President of the Conference of the Parties to convene an annual high-level event on enhancing implementation of climate action;

22. Notes the estimated budgetary implications of the activities to be undertaken by the secretariat referred to in this decision and requests that the actions of the secretariat called for in this decision be undertaken subject to the availability of financial resources.

19. Takes note of the funding estimates for the Trust Fund for Supplementary Activities specified by the Executive Secretary (EUR 51,647,777 for the biennium 2016–2017) (table 5);

Table 5: Resource Requirements for the Trust Fund for Supplementary Activities in the biennium 2016-2017

3. Support to gender mainstreaming in climate change policy and action: $398,800

If you wish to read the full Programme budget for the biennium 2016–2017, see the URL here. 

The Conference of the Parties,

Recalling decision 15/CP.18,

Recognizing the progress made by Parties, international organizations and civil society in planning, coordinating and implementing activities relating to all the elements of Article 6 of the Convention – education, training, public awareness, public participation, public access to information, and international cooperation on these matters,

Also recognizing that ensuring the availability of sufficient financial and technical resources continues to be a challenge for the implementation of Article 6 of the Convention for Parties, in particular African countries, the least developed countries and small island developing States,

Reaffirming the importance of taking into account gender aspects and the need to promote the effective engagement of children, youth, the elderly, women, persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, local communities and non-governmental organizations in activities related to Article 6 of the Convention,

Re-emphasizing the importance of building and strengthening the skills and capacities of national focal points for Article 6 of the Convention, including by continuing to facilitate a regular exchange of views, good practices and lessons learned through the organization of workshops, videoconferences and activities at the international, regional and national levels,

Recalling the invitation to multilateral and bilateral institutions and organizations, including operating entities of the Financial Mechanism of the Convention, as appropriate, to provide financial support for the activities relating to the implementation of Article 6 of the Convention,

Also recalling the Lima Ministerial Declaration on Education and Awareness-raising, which stresses that education, training, public awareness, public participation, public access to information, knowledge and international cooperation play a fundamental role in meeting the ultimate objective of the Convention and in promoting climate-resilient sustainable development,

1. Requests the Subsidiary Body for Implementation to launch the intermediate review of the implementation of the Doha work programme on Article 6 of the Convention at its forty-fourth session (May 2016) on the basis of the terms of reference contained in the annex, with a view to the review being completed by November 2016;

2. Encourages United Nations organizations, in particular the members of the United Nations Alliance on Climate Change Education, Training and Public Awareness, to submit information on the results of their activities, including reports from relevant regional and subregional workshops, as appropriate, in order to support the implementation of the Doha work programme;

3. Requests the Global Environment Facility to report on the progress made in providing financial support and implementing activities to contribute to the implementation of the Doha work programme;

4. Invites multilateral and bilateral institutions and organizations, the private sector and donors to report on financial resources provided to support the activities relating to the implementation of Article 6 of the Convention;

5. Requests the secretariat:

• (a) To prepare a report on the progress made, as well as emerging gaps, needs and recommendations by Parties, admitted observer organizations and other stakeholders in implementing the Doha work programme as input to the intermediate review, as specified in paragraph 5 of the terms of reference contained in the annex, for consideration by the Subsidiary Body for Implementation at its forty-fourth session;
• (b) To continue facilitating a regular exchange of views, good practices and lessons learned among national focal points for Article 6 of the Convention;
• (c) To continue collaborating with admitted observer organizations and other stakeholders and the members of the United Nations Alliance on Climate Change Education, Training and Public Awareness so as to catalyse action on Article 6 of the Convention;

6. Also requests that the actions of the secretariat called for in this decision be undertaken subject to the availability of financial resources.

Annex

Terms of reference for the intermediate review of the Doha work programme on Article 6 of the Convention

1. Mandate
   1. At its eighteenth session, the Conference of the Parties (COP) adopted the eight-year Doha work programme on Article 6 of the Convention and decided that it would be reviewed in 2020, with an intermediate review of progress in 2016, to evaluate its effectiveness, identify any emerging gaps and needs, and inform any decisions on improving the effectiveness of the work programme, as appropriate.
   2. By the same decision, the COP requested the secretariat to prepare reports on the progress made by Parties in implementing Article 6 of the Convention based on information contained in national communications, reports on the annual in-session

Dialogue on Article 6 and other sources of information, including a report on good practices of stakeholder participation in implementing Article 6 activities. These reports will be issued regularly and in particular for the intermediate progress review in 2016 and the review in 2020.

2. Objectives
   3. With a view to encouraging improvement based on experience, the objectives of the intermediate review of the progress made in the implementation of the Doha work programme are:
      
      1. To take stock of the progress made in the implementation of the Doha work programme to date, noting that this work is still ongoing;
      2. To take stock of progress in the integration of Article 6 activities into existing climate change adaptation and mitigation programmes, strategies and activities;
      3. To identify essential needs for, potential gaps in and barriers to the implementation of the Doha work programme;
      4. To identify good practices and lessons learned with a view to their dissemination, promotion and replication, as appropriate;
      5. To identify recommendations on further steps for improving the effective implementation of the Doha work programme.
3. Information sources
   4. Information for the intermediate review of the implementation of the Doha work programme should be drawn from, inter alia:

      a. Reports on the annual in-session Dialogue on Article 6 of the Convention;

2. A report on good practices of stakeholder participation in implementing Article 6 of the Convention;
3. Submissions from Parties, admitted observer organizations and other stakeholders made in response to an invitation by the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) at its forty-second session, containing information on steps taken to implement the Doha work programme, such as efforts to consider the linkages between Article 6 activities, implementation of policies and measures to mitigate and adapt to climate change, and on emerging gaps and needs, as well as recommendations on further steps for improving the effective implementation of the Doha work programme;
4. Relevant conclusions adopted at SBI 40,⁴ including the annex to document FCCC/SBI/2014/L.20;
5. National communications and other relevant national reports;
6. Relevant information and resource materials from United Nations organizations, in particular the members of the United Nations Alliance on Climate Change Education, Training and Public Awareness;
7. Reports and submissions from the operating entities of the Financial Mechanism of the Convention and its implementing agencies on financial support provided and activities implemented to contribute to the implementation of the Doha work programme;
8. Reports and submissions from multilateral and bilateral institutions and organizations, the private sector and donors on financial resources provided to support the implementation of Article 6 of the Convention.

IV.      Modalities of review and expected outcomes

5. Drawing upon the information sources listed in paragraph 4 above, the secretariat will prepare for consideration at SBI 44 (May 2016):
   
   1. A synthesis report on the progress made by Parties, admitted observer organizations and other stakeholders in implementing the Doha work programme;
   2. A report on the functionality and accessibility of the information network clearing house CC:iNet.
6. SBI 44 will consider the documents referred to in paragraph 5 above and any other information relevant to the completion of the intermediate review, including the information referred to in paragraph 4 above, with a view to recommending a draft decision on this matter for consideration and adoption at COP 22 (November 2016).