http://www.unfccc.de

AGENDA 21 CHAPTERS AND PROGRAMME AREAS OF PARTICULAR FOCUS OR INTEREST:
See check list in annex.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF AND LINKS TO INFORMATION ACTIVITIES: 

Data Collection, Observation, Monitoring

CAR receives "National Communications" from Parties which may inter alia include a detailed set of inventories of greenhouse gas sources and sinks. These inventories are submitted annually by Annex I Parties (i.e., developed and transitional economy countries), whose National Communications have well defined contents and structure. (Details obtainable from the secretariat). 
IS uses questionnaires, direct telephone/correspondence contact, meetings, publications, e-mail, etc.Data comes directly from Parties. In addition, data drawn from a list of "authoritative international sources" (list not yet prepared) may be used for comparison purposes. IS data comes from various organizations and government agencies involved in country studies, and other activities. 

CAR data concern greenhouse gas emission (from various sectors and sub-sectors) as well as their removal by sinks. Data hence cover many Agenda 21 chapters including but not only Ch.9-Atmosphere, Ch.10-Land Resources, Ch.11-Deforestation, Ch.12-Desertification, Ch.14 Agriculture and Rural Development, Ch.15-Biological Diversity, Ch.16-Biotechnology, Ch.17-Oceans and Coastal Areas, Ch.18-Freshwater Resources. The first National Communications from developed and transitional country Parties to the Convention have already been received; the second were due in April 1997; National Communications from developing country Parties start to be due in 1997 (see 9/CP.2 for Annex I Parties and 10/CP.2 for non-Annex I Parties in Doc. FCCC/CP/1996/15/Add.1) 

CAR: Information discussions with DESA Division for Sustainable Development to harmonize this work and the CSD National Reports have been initiated. 

Methodologies, Quality Control, Harmonization
CAR: Annex I Parties should use the IPCC methodology for inventories (and agreed guidelines for information to be included in National Communications). 

CAR: Annex I Parties make every effort to provide accurate, consistent, and transparent information in their National Communications. 

Assessment and Analysis
CAR: National Communications include descriptions of policies and measures in various sectors that have impacts on the sources and sinks of greenhouse gases, and on impacts of climate change as a whole. The obvious sectors are energy, transport, industry, agriculture, forestry, and water management. 
 IS has been collecting information on "who is doing what on Climate Change" in countries and in organizations. For now emphasis is on capacity building to "enable" countries to implement the UNFCCC. Later, it will also include mitigation and adaptation activities. 

CAR: There is cooperation with the IPCC and the OECD/IEA. Others may follow as the programme develops (e.g. UNEP, UNDP, other units of DESA). 

CAR: Techniques of compilation, synthesis and analysis of information contained in the National Communications, using quantitative methods where applicable. 

Indicators
CAR: Articles 4 and 12 of the UNFCCC require Parties to submit National Communications. The secretariat aggregates the information contained in the National Communications of Annex I Parties (see Docs. FCCC/CP/1996/12, FCCC/CP/1996/12/Add.1 and FCCC/CP/1996/12/Add.2 for a compilation and synthesis of the first round of Annex I National Communications). The Governments may also include, on a voluntary basis, data such as emissions per capita and per unit of GDP. 

Modelling
 CAR: Annex I Parties are requested to include Greenhouse Gas emission projections to the year 2020. No standardized model has yet been applied. 

Expert Systems/Decision-support systems
CAR: Some Annex I Parties use common systems ("Corinair" by EU Parties). 

Early Warning Mechanisms

Reports/Information dissemination
Dissemination for CAR: Hardcopy versions of the National Communication are distributed to all Parties. In addition, Summaries of National Communications and the corresponding In-Depth Reviews are translated in all official UN languages and made available as UN documents. 
 IS: A variety of methods are used for the dissemination of data by the Information Support sub-programme, to take into account the different needs of the Parties: print, e-mail, CD-ROM, World-Wide-Web, etc. 

Users are Government focal points, observers at INC/COP meetings i.e. relevant IGOs, NGOs etc. The public may also access via electronic media. 

Publication coordination for  IS: With UNEP/IUC (Information Unit on Conventions) for a number of information products for the public at large. Also, with various UNFCCC National Focal Points for the standardization of information dissemination on the World-Wide-Web (CC:INFO/Web). 

Information brokers for IS: UNEP/IUC has been developing materials for use of general public, based on official information. 
Meta-information directories for CAR: Directories of National Focal Points have been developed. For IS: Some of the information compiled and disseminated by IS (e.g., the CC:INFO Reports) is to some extent meta-information, as it includes directory-type information. 

Promotion of IS information use: Staffing of a "CC:INFO booth" during UNFCCC meetings; active participation in other information-related meetings. 

Within review of National Communications and in the CC:INFO Reports, a great deal of attention is given to producing information in different forms. Basic information produced or collected is transformed into various syntheses and into various summary levels, to be disseminated via different channels to different targets. Distribution to focal points in Government at the decision-making level is given a high priority. Examples of the syntheses compiled by CAR are the 2nd Compilation Synthesis of National Communications (Docs. FCCC/CP/1996/12 & addenda), and the In-Depth Reviews and the Summaries of National Communications, which are translated into all official UN languages and distributed as UN documents. 

Network Development and Support
IS: A number of specialized networks are maintained through e-mail listservers (CC:FORUM, CC:INFO/Web developers, etc.). All networks are managed through one secretariat. 
IS interacts with several networks: SDN, APC (e.g. EcoNet, GreeNet, etc.), Climate Action Network (CAN), Greentie. 

Capacity-Building
A number of capacity building efforts are under way - essentially to assist developing and transitional countries to implement the Convention. In particular, CC:TRAIN, a training programme which the secretariat has put in place with UNITAR. 
 b. Training in data collection, assessment and transformation
Training in data collection, assessment and transformation in CAR: Participation in and organization of a number of workshops devoted to methodologies. In IS: In the context of the CC:INFO/Web initiative, organization of workshops devoted to publishing UNFCCC related information on the web (to date, 2 workshops with 12 representatives of developing country Parties). 

Identification of data gaps is on-going. Only at a later stage will sufficient information be gathered and analysed to identify gaps. 

Internet Access
 http://www.unfccc.de
 A web site is maintained by the Information Support sub-programme, which contains full texts and supporting materials for the Framework Convention on Climate Change 

Responsible Office/Person (for inquiries or follow-up):
Fareed Yasseen 
 Manager 
 Information Support sub-programme 
 UNFCCC 
 P.O. Box 260124 
 D-53153 Bonn 
 Germany 
 Tel: +49 228 815 1528 
 Fax: +49 228 815 1999 
 E-mail: fyasseen @ unfccc.de 

Date of preparation:  July 1997, modified February 2001 

ORGANIZATION: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - Secretariat