COP23 - It's started!

The Bonn Climate Change Conference opened today and will continue until 17 November, under the Presidency of Fiji. The conference is actually a combination of six meetings:

• The twenty-third session of the Conference of the Parties (COP23) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC);
• The thirteenth session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 13);

• The second part of the first session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA 1-2) and;
• The 47th session of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI 47) and Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 47) plus the fourth part of the first session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA 1-4).

The conference and the meetings are focused on the “Paris Agreement Work Programme”. This is scheduled for completion by COP24 in 2018 and will develop the “Paris Rulebook” that will allow governments to implement the Paris Agreement by providing rules and guidelines, for example, how markets under Article 6 can be used for the co-operation between nations to mitigate emissions. Other issues will include:

• The mitigation section of decision 1/CP.21 (the Paris outcome);
• The transparency framework for action and support;
• Global stocktake and the mechanism to facilitate implementation and promote compliance.
• Regular issues on finance, adaptation, and loss and damage will be covered as well as the 2018 facilitative dialogue.

The Fijian Presidency has been very open and transparent in its preparations for COP23 and will hold an Open Dialogue, open to all non-governmental stakeholders including business on Wednesday, 8^th November that will discuss the important topic of how business and other stakeholders interact with the climate change process to enable an improved flow of information between governments and business, in particular on advances in technologies that will advance climate actions.

In a press release published on 3 November, BusinessEurope’s Director General noted “We hope that the open and consultative approach of the Fijian Presidency of COP23 sets a clear example and that we can expect a fully transparent process in Bonn with meetings open to all stakeholders. In particular, meetings discussing the establishment of market-based approaches under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement should use the vast market experience of the business and financial community”.

At the conference, BusinessEurope will take part in at least two events to support the development of the Paris Rulebook. In particular:

• On Thursday 9 November (BINGO Day) at 16:45-18:15 in Conference Room 7 (Bonn zone), in a side event organized by the Major Economies Business Forum (BizMEF) on The Role of Business in the Facilitative Dialogue. This event is open to all COP participants with Bonn zone access.
• On Sunday 12 November at 14:00-16:00 at Kranz Parkhotel in Siegberg, just outside of Bonn during the BizMEF Dialogue. This event is on invitation only.