Submission
Samoa, on behalf of the Alliance of Small Islands States (AOSIS) welcomes this opportunity to submit its views on the terms of reference for the workshop on ‘good practices’ in policies and measures. This submission should be seen in conjunction with earlier submissions by AOSIS on policies and measures. The experience gained at the workshop devoted to "best practices" in policies and measures should also be considered, so that points of convergence do not have to be debated anew. AOSIS reserves the right to make further submissions and contributions to these discussions. AOSIS strongly believes that the development and implementation of domestic policies and measures form the cornerstone of the implementation of Annex I Party obligations under the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol. Cooperation and the exchange of information and experience among Parties are vital in this process. They help Annex I Parties to improve the effectiveness of their individual and joint policies and measures to address climate change and can overcome real and perceived barriers to adopting and implementing certain policies and measures. A transparent exchange of information furthermore allows for an evaluation of how the domestic measures that an Annex I Party has put in place will contribute to that Party achieving its obligations. Given the long lead time necessary for controlling greenhouse gas emissions, and the disappointing performance of many Annex I Parties thus far in putting in place effective domestic measures, this kind of early warning system will be essential for assessing and comparing Parties’ performance under the Convention, as well as under the Protocol. AOSIS sees the organization of the first workshop under draft decision FCCC/CP/2000/CRP.6 as a welcome opportunity to improve the exchange of information and experience on policies and measures. In order to do so, the group believes that the discussions in this first workshop should in particular focus on: - The assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of specific policies and measures, as well as the circumstances responsible for their success and failure; - Methodologies to quantify the individual and combined effectiveness of specific policies and measures in reducing greenhouse gas emissions; - Enhancing the transparency in Annex I Party reporting on domestic policies and measures, in particular with a view to elaborating guidelines for reporting on demonstrable progress; - Facilitating further cooperation between two or more Parties in the adoption and implementation of effective policies and measures. AOSIS looks forward to working with other Parties on finalizing the terms of reference of this workshop at SBSTA 14 with a view to holding the workshop before SBSTA 15, as required by the draft decision.
