Background

The Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention (AWG-LCA) was established as a subsidiary body under the Convention by decision 1/CP.13 (the Bali Action Plan) and convened its last meeting AWG-LCA 15-2 in conjunction with COP 18 in Doha, Qatar. By decision 1/CP.16 the Conference of the Parties (COP) had requested the AWG-LCA to explore financing options for the full implementation of the results-based actions referred to in paragraph 73 of the same decision. Leading up to COP 18 in Doha, Parties submitted their views on this issue (contained in MISC FCCC/AWGLCA/2012/MISC.3, Add.1, Add.2, Add.3 and Add.4) which provided the basis of a Technical Paper (FCCC/TP/2012/3). The secretariat organized a workshop on this matter on 30 August 2012, in conjunction with the informal session of the AWG-LCA in Bangkok, Thailand, and produced a report on this workshop (FCCC/AWGLCA/2012/INF.8). The discussions at this informal session were captured in an informal note.

The COP, at its eighteenth session, decided to undertake a work programme on results-based finance in 2013 to progress the full implementation of the activities referred to in decision 1/CP.16, paragraph 70 (hereafter referred to as REDD-plus activities).

The COP decided that the aim of the work programme is to contribute to the ongoing efforts to scale up and improve the effectiveness of finance for REDD-plus activities, taking into account decision 2/CP.17, paragraphs 66 and 67.

The work programme addressed options to achieve this objective, taking into account a wide variety of sources as referred to in decision 2/CP.17, paragraph 65, including:

(a). Ways and means to transfer payments for results-based actions;
(b). Ways to incentivize non-carbon benefits;
(c). Ways to improve the coordination of results-based finance;

It drew upon relevant sources of information and also took into account lessons learned from other processes under the Convention and from fast-start finance;

The COP concluded this work programme at its nineteenth session.

Co-chairs of the work programme

The COP, in its decision 1/CP.18, paragraph 26, invited the President of the COP to appoint two co-chairs, one from a developing country Party and one from a developed country Party, for the work programme referred to above.

The COP requested the co-chairs, assisted by the secretariat, to:

(a). Support two in-session workshops relating to the issues to be addressed by the work programme;

(b). Prepare a report on the workshops for consideration by the COP at its nineteenth session, with a view to its adoption of a decision on this matter;

(c). Coordinate the activities of the work programme with the work under the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice related to methodological guidance for activities relating to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries.

Refer also to decision 1/CP.18, paragraphs 25–33.

Upon request by H.E. Mr. Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, President of the eighteenth session of the Conference of the Parties and the eighth session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, the secretariat sent out a Message to Parties on 25 March 2013 (59 kB) announcing the appointment of the following co-chairs for this work programme:

• Mr. Agus P. Sari (Indonesia)
• Ms. Christina Voigt (Norway)

The co-chairs shared an information note (108 kB) on the first workshop on results-based finance for the full implementation of the activities referred to in decision 1/CP.16, paragraph 70. The workshop took place on 10 June 2013.

Workshop website

The second workshop on results-based finance for the full implementation of the activities referred to in decision 1/CP.16, paragraph 70, took place from 21 to 22 August 2013.

Workshop website

Message to Parties from the co-chairs on 17 October 2013 (1420 kB)

Message to Parties from the co-chairs on 29 May 2013 (172 kB)

Message to Parties from the co-chairs on 19 April 2013 (161 kB)

COP 19 concluded the work programme and, as part of the Warsaw Framework for REDD-plus, adopted decision 9/CP.19, entitled “Work programme on results-based finance to progress the full implementation of the activities referred to in decision 1/CP.16, paragraph 70”.

By decision 9/CP.19, the COP, inter alia:

• Reaffirms that results-based finance may come from a wide variety of sources, public and private, bilateral and multilateral, including alternative sources
• Encourages financing entities, including the Green Climate Fund in a key role, to channel adequate and predictable results-based finance in a fair and balanced manner, and to work with a view to increasing the number of countries that are in a position to obtain and receive payments for results-based actions
• Encourages financing entities to continue to provide financial resources to alternative policy approaches, such as joint mitigation and adaptation approaches for the integral and sustainable management of forests
• Recognizes the importance of incentivizing non-carbon benefits for the long-term sustainability of the implementation of the activities referred to in decision 1/CP.16, paragraph 70
• Decides to establish an information hub on the REDD Web Platform, to publish information on the results and corresponding results-based payments
• Requests the Standing Committee on Finance to consider the issue of financing for forests in its work on coherence and coordination