The IAR started in January 2014, with the submission of the sixth national communications and the first biennial reports from Annex I Parties and the technical review of these reports by international expert review teams. The first round of the MA working group session was convened at SBI 41 in Lima, where 17 Annex I Parties were multilaterally assessed.

The multilateral assessment (MA) process is part of the international assessment and review (IAR) process for developed country Parties. The IAR process is conducted under the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and aims to promote the comparability of efforts among all developed country Parties with regard to their quantified economy-wide emission limitation and reduction targets.

The IAR process comprises two steps: a technical review of the national reports of each developed country, followed by the MA of the progress towards achieving the economy-wide target by developed country Parties.

The MA process entails three stages:

• the preparation for the MA before the SBI working group session - encompassing a
  three-month "questions and answers" period; more
• the international assessment during the SBI working group session; more
• and the completion of the Party record after the SBI working group session. more