COP21 Day 2: What’s a Subsidiary Body and Why Does It Matter?

With the exception of my rather illustrious surroundings, my experience at the COP today could have just as easily been a busy but normal work day during my Fulbright-Clinton Fellowship.

One of the Samoan delegates (my former supervisor) was asked to co-chair part of the agenda for the 43^rd Meeting of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI). My day, therefore, largely consisted of doing background research and taking notes on reference documents to help my supervisor prepare for this meeting.

This work area was my home for COP21 Day 2.

What is the SBI, do you ask? It is one of the two permanent subsidiary bodies of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). (The other is the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice [SBSTA]). As you might guess from its name, the SBI’s primary function is to report on efforts to implement the Convention. It reviews national reports on climate change activities and uses these reports to assess how well the world is doing at implementing the Convention. The sessions co-chaired by my supervisor will focus on the national reports submitted by developing countries. Attendees will review the status of these reports and information on technical and financial support provided by a Consultative Group of Experts and the Global Environment Facility (GEF). (The GEF funds projects connected with the UNFCCC as well as other international environment conventions.)

Why is this important? While negotiations around an international climate change agreement is the central and most pivotal part of any COP, it is by no means the only thing happening. The Conference is also a key place for countries to ensure that existing agreements are respected and implemented. In particular, it provides an avenue for countries to check in on national efforts to measure, report, and verify their commitments from previous COPs.

Outside of my computer screen, the Conference itself also remained fairly calm today. The morning was marked by a meeting on challenges and solutions for climate change in Africa. During the meeting, François Hollande pledged that France would invest 2 billion euros in renewable energy projects in Africa by 2020. And François Hollande and Ségolène Royale spent the afternoon inaugurating the Climate Generations Area (an area connected with the COP that is open to the general public).

To find out more about what is discussed in this post, check out the following web pages:

• “Convention Bodies” http://unfccc.int/essential_background/convention/convention_bodies/items/2629.php 
• “Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI)” http://unfccc.int/bodies/body/6406.php 
• “Developing Countries: Promoting Transparency and Accountability” http://unfccc.int/national_reports/non-annex_i_natcom/items/2716.php 
• "What is the GEF" https://www.thegef.org/gef/whatisgef 
• "Hollande pledges 2 billion euros for green energy projects in Africa"
  http://www.france24.com/en/20151201-hollande-pledges-2-billion-green-energy-initiatives-africa
• "Climate Generations Area" https://egc.cop21.gouv.fr/