United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change - Twenty Fourth Conference of Parties

The Twenty Fourth Conference of Parties (COP 24) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) convened in Katowice, Poland from November 28th to December 14th, 2018. COP 24 comprised preparatory meetings and meetings of various Constituted Bodies under the UNFCCC, running simultaneously. These were:

• Preparatory meetings of the Alliance of Small Island States and G77 and China;
• Twenty Fourth Conference of Parties (COP24) to the UNFCCC;
• Fourteenth session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP);
• Third part of the first session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA);
• Forty Ninth Session of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI 49);
• Forty Ninth Session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 49); 
• Seventh Part of the First Session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA 1.7).

COP 24 was attended by over 22,000 participants, including nearly 14,000 government officials, over 7,000 representatives from UN bodies and agencies, intergovernmental organisations, and civil society organisations, and 1,500 members of the media. The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago was represented by Her Excellency Ambassador Pennelope Beckles, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, New York, Mr. Kishan Kumarsingh, Head, Multilateral Environmental Agreements Unit, Ministry of Planning and Development, Ms. Sindy Singh, Climate Change Specialist, Multilateral Environmental Agreements Unit, Ministry of Planning and Development.  

COP 24 was primarily focused on finalising the Paris Agreement Work Programme (PAWP), a set of decisions or “rules” meant to operationalise the Paris Agreement. At the end of the Conference, Parties adopted the Katowice Climate Package, which includes decisions on nearly all of the issues mandated as part of the PAWP. These include issues on guidance for Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), common timeframes, the impact of the implementation of response measures; guidance for adaptation communication, matters relating to the transparency of finance,  a new collective quantified goal on finance, issues related to the Technology Mechanism, and the technology framework,  procedures, and guidelines for the transparency framework for action and support, the global stocktake and issues related to compliance.

T&T Representatives - From right, Her Excellency Ambassador Pennelope Beckles, 

Mr. Kishan Kumarsingh and Ms. Sindy Singh

Her Excellency Ambassador Pennelope Beckles (right) and Ms. Sindy Singh (left) 

participate at the Gender Responsive Technology Needs Assessment Workshop

Global Workshop on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs): Delivering Climate Action and Sustainable Development

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Low Emission Capacity Building (LECB) Programme hosted the Global Workshop on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs): Delivering Climate Action and Sustainable Development which was held in Brussels, Belgium during the period 13-14 June, 2016. 

Trinidad and Tobago was represented at the Global Workshop  by Mrs. Beverly Khan, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Planning and Development and Mr. Javed Lakhan, Environmental Policy Analyst, Environmental Policy and Planning Division of the Ministry of Planning and Development.

DPS Khan at the head table (second from the left) participating as a panelist on one of the discussions at the Workshop

The two (2) day Workshop focused on collaborating with participants to: 

• formulate a framework for comprehensive NDC implementation;
• sharing of experiences between countries with  respect to planning and implementing          activities to achieve goals set out under NDCs; 
• discussing technical and institutional issues related to implementation and how to address them and; 
• elaborate on the ways NDCs could not only deliver on countries’ commitments to the Paris      Agreement but also be a driving factor toward meeting the global Sustainable Development       Goals (SDGs).

The meeting proved very fruitful, facilitated the conceptualisation of some concrete first steps to drive achievement of NDC goals in Trinidad and Tobago. Some of the first steps identified included increasing public awareness and seeking to create high level political champions within various ministries to ensure that climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emission components are considered at all levels of country planning.

Bonn Climate Change Conference

The Bonn Climate Change Conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) convened from 16 - 26 May, 2016 in Bonn, Germany. 

The Conference encompassed the 44th sessions of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI-44) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA-44), and the first meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA-1). Preparatory meetings for the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and the Group of 77 and China on 12-13 May, 2016 and 14-15 May, 2016 consecutively.
 

SBSTA-44

The key focus of SBSTA-44 was to:

• continue its work on the methodological issues under the Convention, the Kyoto Protocol and the Nairobi Work Programme on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change (NWP)
• initiate work on matters mandated by the Paris Agreement including the on the technology framework and modalities for Article 6 of the Agreement (which relates to cooperative approaches and the framework for non-market approaches).

SBI-44

 SBI-44 focused on: 

• continuing  its regular work on implementation, including on mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocol, capacity building, gender, and national adaptation plans (NAPs) 
  
• initiating work on matters mandated by the Paris Agreement including the development of modalities and procedures for a public registry for Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and for adaptation communications.

APA-1 

The main intent of APA-1 was:

•  adopting a programme of work as mandated by the Paris Agreement
• coming to conclusions to further work on guidance for mitigation
• determining guidance for NDCs including information to facilitate their clarity, transparency and understanding and accounting for NDCs as well as further guidance for adaptation communications and for the transparency framework;
• discussing matters relating to the global stocktake; including potential modalities as well as  modalities and procedures for compliance; and preparation for the entry into force of the Paris Agreement.

Air Pollution Rules - Chamber of Industry and Commence Breakfast Meeting

The Multilateral Environmental Agreements Unit (MEAU) of the Ministry of Planning and Development to participate at Breakfast Meeting arranged by the Chamber on Friday 19th February, 2016 at the Chamber’s Westmoorings offices. 

"The APR 2014 is legislation developed under the Environmental Management Act Chapter 35:05 designed to manage the levels of specific air pollutants known to cause harm to human health and the environment, thereby improving overall air quality. To this end, prescribed standards for air pollutants in Ambient Air (Schedule 1) and for the release of air pollutants at distinct points (Schedule 2) have been established. Therefore, the main objective of the meeting was to sensitise the members of the Chamber and the wider business community, of the requirements of the Air Pollution Rules, 2014."                                                                                                                                                                                                      Source: http://www.ema.co.tt/new/index.php/legal/legislation/air-pollution

Among the presenters at the Meeting which included the Environmental Management Authority (EMA), was Mr. Kishan Kumarsingh, Head of the MEAU.

 

He presented on the Potential Role of the APR 2014 in implementing the recent Paris Agreement which came out from the twenty–first Conference of Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change which occurred in December, 2015.