2017 Bonn Climate Change Conference

2017 Bonn Climate Change Conference
Name	2017 Bonn Climate Change Conference
Other names	Bonn Climate Change Conference June 2017
Date	5–16 June 2017
Location	Bonn, Germany
Venue	World Conference Center Bonn
Organizers	United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat
Preceding	2017 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP22/MOP12) sessions and Bonn meetings
Following	2017 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP23)

2017 Bonn Climate Change Conference The 2017 Bonn Climate Change Conference was an intersessional meeting convened under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCCC process in Bonn, Germany from 5 to 16 June 2017. The sessions gathered Parties to advance work on implementation of the Paris Agreement and the Cancun Agreements, continuing technical negotiations begun at prior meetings such as the 2016 UN Climate Change Conference and preparing for the upcoming 2017 UN climate conference (COP23).

Background

The conference took place within the pace set by the Paris Agreement framework following COP deliberations in Marrakesh and Lima Protocol legacies, and against geopolitical developments including policy statements from the United States Department of State and decisions referenced by national representatives from China, India, the European Union, and Brazil. It followed workstreams established at COP21 and COP22, and responded to technical guidance needs identified by subsidiary bodies such as the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI). The meeting also engaged with non-Party stakeholders including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Green Climate Fund, and the Nairobi Work Programme partners.

Objectives and Agenda

Primary objectives included advancing development of the Paris Agreement implementation guidelines (the "rulebook"), refining modalities for the global stocktake under Article 14 of the Paris Agreement, operationalizing the Transparency Framework for mitigation and adaptation reporting, and negotiating guidance for the Green Climate Fund and Adaptation Fund. The agenda incorporated agenda items from SBSTA and SBI mandates, technical expert dialogues on loss and damage modeled after the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage, facilitation of the capacity-building initiative established by COP22, and refinement of market mechanisms under Article 6 relating to Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes.

Participants and Organization

Delegations represented Parties such as United States of America, China, Russia, Japan, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Mexico, and Norway, alongside regional groups including the Least Developed Countries, AOSIS, African Group, and the European Union. Observers included the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Bank, the OECD, research institutions affiliated with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and civil society organizations such as Greenpeace, WWF, 350.org, and indigenous representatives linked to the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform. The UNFCCC Secretariat, presided over by the Executive Secretary, organized plenary sessions, contact groups, and informal consultations at the World Conference Center Bonn.

Key Outcomes and Decisions

Outcomes advanced text negotiations on the Paris Agreement rulebook, including bracketing and convergence on transparency modalities and timelines for Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The meeting produced draft conclusions from SBSTA and SBI recommending continued work on modalities for the global stocktake and guidance for the adaptation communications process. Progress was recorded on methodological issues for greenhouse gas inventories under the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories and on technical discussions for market mechanisms and non-market approaches under Article 6. The conference also reaffirmed support for the operationalization of the Green Climate Fund and set preparatory work for the facilitation of implementation and compliance under the Paris architecture.

Negotiation Dynamics and Controversies

Negotiations featured tensions among major emitters, developing country coalitions, and small island delegations over differentiation, ambition, and finance. Debates reflected contrasting positions from delegations aligned with G77 and China, the Umbrella Group, and the European Union on transparency flexibility for developing Parties and on treatment of pre-2020 ambition linked to the Kyoto Protocol mechanisms. Controversy surrounded market mechanisms where negotiators referenced precedents from the Clean Development Mechanism and legal interpretations influenced by submissions from parties such as New Zealand and Switzerland. Financial discussions invoked pledges to the Green Climate Fund and arguments citing obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change convention text, producing polarized exchanges in contact groups and informal informals.

Follow-up and Implementation Actions

The Bonn outcomes led to a roadmap feeding into preparatory work for COP23 in Bonn hosted COP23 under the presidency of Fiji, and set timelines for submission of revised text ahead of intersessional meetings and the 2018 Talanoa Dialogue design. Parties were urged to submit enhanced NDCs and technical inputs to the Transparency Framework consultations, and to operationalize decisions for finance delivery through mechanisms including the Green Climate Fund and the Adaptation Fund. Research institutions and the IPCC continued to provide scientific inputs, while multilateral development banks such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank engaged in scaling climate finance instruments to implement the technical modalities advanced in Bonn.

Category:United Nations climate change conferences Category:2017 in the environment