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Stock Taking Tool Analytical Tool to Support Identification of Prioritised Actions for National MRV Systems and Mitigation

Analytical Tool to Support Identification of Prioritised Actions for National MRV Systems and Mitigation

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Information Matters: Capacity Building for Enhanced Reporting and Facilitation of International Mutual Learning through Peer-to-Peer Exchange. The project is funded by the BMU International Climate Initiative.

Responsible:

Rocío Lichte, Oscar Zarzo Fuertes, Matthias Daun, Verena Schauss, Kirsten Orschulok

This Stock Taking Tool was developed by the GIZ with valuable inputs from Rebecca Carman (UNDP LECB).

Contributors version 1.0 (published in 2014)

Sina Wartmann, John Watterson, Justine Sefton (Ricardo Energy and Environment)

Contributors version 2.0

Luis de la Torre, Emelie Öhlander, Amr Osama, Morten Pedersen,

Daniel Perczyk, Jessica Wade-Murphy (NIRAS)

Version

2.0

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GIZ is responsible for the content of this publication. Eschborn, January 2017.

Analytical Tool to Support Identification of Prioritised Actions for National MRV Systems and Mitigation

This tool for stocktaking should be considered as a guidance which countries can apply to design a monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) system improvement plan over the short-, medium- and longer term. The tool does not state how MRV systems or their elements should be designed in detail. Each country must tailor its MRV systems to its specific national circumstances.

What are national MRV systems?

National MRV systems mean structures, processes and capacities responding to MRV requirements under the UNFCCC, but potentially also other national or international requirements related to MRV. MRV requirements under the UNFCCC can be broadly categorised as relating to MRV of emissions, MRV of mitigation actions and MRV of support. An effective national MRV system is essential to underpin the design and implementation of an effective mitigation system. National mitigation systems mean any kind of strategy or planning related to mitigation actions, be it in the form of a nationally determined contribution (NDC) mitigation pledge, nationally appropriate mitigation actions (NAMAs), low emission development strategy (LEDS), etc. Effective national MRV systems enable countries to determine their low-emissions/sustainable development goals and priorities, track their implementation and identify the need for adjustment when the MRV shows that actions are less effective than expected. For more information, you can turn to the GIZ MRV-Tool, which provides brief, step-by-step instructions on how to develop a MRV System. The GIZ MRV-Tool also navigates users to relevant information, knowledge, instruments, and publications available and can be found here.

Purpose of the tool

This tool aims to aid developing countries in carrying out a stocktaking to facilitate the assessment of the current ability of their national systems related to MRV of climate change related actions, including of mitigation pledge(s) in the context of nationally determined contributions (NDCs), nationally appropriate mitigation actions (NAMAs), low emission development strategy (LEDS), etc.; to create transparency and generate data to use as a basis for planning and implementing mitigation actions; and to comply with the UNFCCC requirements, e.g. submission of a Biennial Update Report (BUR). But the tool can also be applied for broader functions of a national MRV system, e.g. related to reporting at the national level. The output of the gap analysis contained in this tool is a prioritised list of actions to address the gaps identified. This information can be used as the basis for the design of a strategy for the further development of the national MRV system, LEDS, NAMAs and so forth. Furthermore, the output of this tool can serve as input for the reporting on support needed (in the form of finance, technology transfer or capacity building) in the BUR.

The use of this tool is voluntary; the tool has not been endorsed by the UNFCCC.

Use of the tool

The Stock Taking Tool can best be completed by a team consisting of experts in the fields of national mitigation actions and strategy, MRV structure in the country, GHG inventories, and of support needed and received. The individual sections should be processed in line with the expertise of the relevant respondents. Please keep in mind that completion of the comprehensive checklist may take eight full hours.

Complete Column 1 of the checklist below (“Checklist on MRV and mitigation”) to describe your national situation regarding MRV of climate change action including NDC, LEDS, NAMAs, etc. to the extent possible. Use the radio-buttons to answer the questions and, where appropriate, use the field below the buttons to further describe your situation.

In Column 2 below (“Prioritised need for action”), list actions you perceive are required to move your national situation regarding MRV, and NDC, LEDS, NAMAs and other mitigation in the direction of the comprehensive MRV system described by the checklist.

Prioritise each identified action using the drop-down menu in Column 2, which allows you to choose between actions required in the short-, medium-, and long-term. The following considerations can help you with prioritisation:

Relevance to the national mitigation strategy and associated actions: Actions related to sectors prioritised for mitigation, existing and planned mitigation actions, etc. should be higher priority.

First things first. Assignment of responsibilities and staff must take place before operational processes like data collection can be designed and implemented. Furthermore, the implementation of certain processes is best done consecutively. For example, processes related to quality assurance / quality control (QA/QC) or verification can best be implemented once data is collected and evaluated. If you are not sure about what comes first, you can use the order in which issues are addressed in the checklist under Column 1 as orientation.

Create a list of prioritised actions. Once you have filled out the table as much as possible, move below the table, where you will find a button saying “Create action list”. You can directly jump to the button by clicking here. Upon clicking the button, the actions you have identified will be listed in a table. Actions required in the short-term will be listed first, followed by actions required in the medium-term and finally, actions required in the long-term.

“No answer” responses should be limited to a minimum. Consider including additional illustrative or clarifying information when answering any question.

Table 1: Stocktaking table

Column 1 Checklist on MRV and mitigation	Column 2 Prioritised need for action
Questions	No	In planning	Partially implemented	Yes	No answer	Action required	Urgency of action
National mitigation strategy
Policies and context
Has the country officially announced international mitigation commitments (i.e. in an (I)NDC submitted to the UNFCCC)?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Is the country involved in other international or regional initiatives geared towards mitigation (for example, regional emissions trading, bilateral mitigation mechanism, etc.)?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, for example time frame and magnitude of mitigation potential, if appropriate.
Is the country bound by other international or regional agreements or protocols that may influence (positively or negatively) its mitigation potential (for example, the Montreal Protocol)?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, for example time frame and magnitude of mitigation potential, if appropriate.
Is there a national climate change strategy or plan? If so, what time frame does it cover (through 2020, 2030, other)?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate, including time horizon of the strategy or plan.
Is low-emissions development or a national mitigation strategy embedded in other strategic documents (for example, a national forest conservation law)?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate, including any key low-emissions development indicators.
Are relevant national laws and/or regulations in place to mandate and enable implementation of mitigation actions?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Has the country developed mitigation actions? Are any other mitigation relevant activities underway?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate, including title, sector, status and responsible institution for each mitigation action.
Institutional elements
Is there an over-arching institution coordinating the national climate change strategy?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Is there an entity appointed to undertake or coordinate the reporting to the UNFCCC on emissions, mitigation actions and support needs?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Is there a mitigation action focal point? At what level of government are they located?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Do all line ministries (and their affiliated institutions) have climate focal points?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Do all relevant line ministries (and their affiliated institutions) have (a) climate expert(s) on staff? Climate expert means, for example, a person with at least four years’ experience and a related degree.	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Is there a process in place to engage stakeholders in the development of mitigation actions (e.g. financial institutions, NGOs, multilateral implementing agencies)?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Is sub-national government (e.g. provinces, municipalities) involved in the design and implementation of mitigation actions?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Capacity-related elements
Is technical expertise in place for relevant areas related to development and/or implementation of a national climate change strategy/plan or LEDS? Please describe.	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Are sufficient resources in place for capacity building and awareness raising in the area of climate change mitigation at the national level?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
In the past 12 months, has training been undertaken on national climate change strategy/plan (e.g. LEDS) development, implementation and/or MRV?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Does the country participate in any international or regional networks for knowledge exchange on NDCs, national climate change strategy, LEDS, NAMAs, and/or MRV?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Data and information
Do National Communications and Biennial Update Reports provide comprehensive information about GHG inventories, mitigation actions, and support needed and received?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Do National Communications and Biennial Update Reports provide information about mitigation scenarios (e.g. under the NDC), including inter alia emissions scenarios and underlying assumptions, prioritised mitigation actions, key sectors, uncertainties?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Are projections (if any) coherent with the GHG inventories in National Communications and Biennial Update Reports?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Do emission scenarios exist at the national/sectoral level?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate. If emission scenarios exist, what method(s) were used to determine the mitigation potential? (e.g. MAC curves).
Have sectors been prioritised for mitigation action?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate, including which sectors (buildings, transport, energy, forestry, agriculture, industry, waste management, tourism, water) have been prioritised and with what potential.
Budget
Are sufficient financial resources in place for national climate change strategy development, implementation and monitoring (e.g. minimum every 4 years)?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate, including the main sources of funding (national, international, etc.).
Are sufficient financial resources in place for mitigation action development, implementation and monitoring?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate, including the main sources of funding (national, international, etc.).
Overarching MRV structure
Have National Communications and Biennial Update Reports been submitted on a regular basis?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate, including how many communications and BUR and when.
Are processes in place for the coordination of the compilation and submission of National Communications and Biennial Update Reports on a regular basis?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Have sufficient financial and human resources been allocated for the compilation and submission of National Communications and Biennial Update Reports on a regular basis, including resources for all related MRV activities, i.e. GHG inventories, MRV of mitigation actions and of support?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate, including the main sources of funding (national, international, etc.).
Does a national law exist that requires reporting of data for GHG inventories and/or mitigation actions from, e.g. government agencies or the private sector, or are data provided on a voluntary basis?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Has the cooperation between institutions involved in the compilation and submission of National Communications and Biennial Update Reports been formalised (e.g. memorandum of understanding)?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Does all involved staff understand the content as well as reporting related requirements for National Communications and Biennial Update Reports as well as the requirements for the International Consultation and Analysis (ICA) process?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
MRV of emissions: national GHG inventory
Institutional elements
Has the country produced at least one complete GHG inventory for a given year?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate, including which times series are covered, which emitting sectors are included, and which Tiers and emission factors (national or default) are used.
Has it been possible to maintain processes, data and staff capacity from a previous inventory you compiled?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Has a regular (e.g. annual/biennial) inventory compilation process been defined?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Have roles and responsibilities of line ministries and their affiliated institutions for the inventory compilation process been allocated?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Is a QA/QC process for the inventory process in place?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Is an inventory improvement process in place?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Capacity-related elements
Are sufficient staff members available at the institutions responsible for the regular compilation of the inventory?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Does the available staff understand methodologies and data needs for all sectors, technical and content related reporting requirements, and relevant tools?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Procedural elements
Have the most relevant emitting sources (“key categories”) been identified?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Has it been possible to collect the relevant data for all inventory sectors (e.g. energy, industrial processes and product use, agriculture, forestry and other land-use, waste)?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Are the sources of the relevant data for all inventory sectors documented and archived?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Do the most relevant emission sources (“key categories”) use country-specific or source-specific approaches (Tier 2 or Tier 3)?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Do you use the IPCC 2006 Guidelines for National GHG Inventories? If not, are there plans to move towards these guidelines in the foreseeable future?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Have approaches for regular data collection for the sectors been formalised (e.g. through memoranda of understanding)?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Do you have information technology solutions in place for inventory compilation and data archiving, e.g. servers, database, data processing software?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
MRV of mitigation actions
Institutional elements
Is the responsibility for coordinating mitigation action development, implementation and monitoring defined? Mitigation actions may include NAMAs, sectoral plans, national carbon markets, taxes, CDM, bilateral initiatives, etc.	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Does a domestic MRV system for reporting and data collection related to mitigation already exist?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Are there existing MRV systems for ongoing mitigation actions? If so, please list these mitigation actions and their MRV systems in the field to provide more information.	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Do methods for the quantification of direct and indirect effects of mitigation actions exist? If so, please describe, e.g. qualitative or quantitative data, impact indicators, SMART indicators, etc.	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Does the MRV system for the mitigation actions noted in Q49 also capture non-GHG co-benefits, e.g. job creation, air quality, health, etc.? If so, please explain what metrics are used.	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Have unwanted negative effects of mitigation actions been identified (yes/no)? If so, please describe them.	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Has the responsibility for the coordination of MRV approaches for individual mitigation actions been allocated or is there a process (e.g. regular communication of involved institutions) which ensures this coordination?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Are processes for the validation/verification of monitored /reported mitigation action impacts in place?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Capacity related elements
Are sufficient staff members available at the responsible institutions of the national MRV system?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Does the available staff understand about: set up of MRV systems, setting SMART objectives, indicator methodologies, indicator targets and baselines, identifying data sources, setting up data collection processes, validating, evaluating/aggregating data – with regards to their specific actions?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Have common minimum standards for MRV approaches, ensuring a basic consistency of approaches been set up?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Does the available staff understand both technical and content related reporting requirements (Biennial Update Reports, climate finance donors) and what must be reported to whom and when?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Has recent staff training been undertaken on mitigation action development, implementation and/or MRV, for example in the context of a regular and adequate training programme?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Procedural elements
Have indicators been formulated for all mitigation actions, including setting baselines and target values?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Have templates and timelines for compilation of mitigation action data been set up?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Have data collection and evaluation approaches for the indicators been laid down in writing?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Is data for the indicators collected regularly?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, including the data collection cycle and starting point of regular collection, if appropriate.
Have information technology solutions for the compilation and archiving of MRV data been set up?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
MRV of support
Institutional elements
Are processes in place for the coordination of support received (e.g. a work flow)?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Is a process in place for the identification of support needed (e.g. for the preparation of Biennial Update Reports)?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Have responsibilities for MRV of support been allocated?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Have all relevant stakeholders related to MRV of support been identified and are they involved in MRV of support processes?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Are validation/verification processes for the reporting of support received in place?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Have reporting processes to various donors on support received been integrated in order to minimise efforts?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Capacity-related elements
Are sufficient staff members available at the responsible institutions to carry out the MRV in a timely way?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Does available staff understand his or her specific role in the process, and, as applicable, data sources, definitions, approaches for collection / evaluation / aggregation / reporting / archiving?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Procedural elements
Is data from all relevant sources/ stakeholders collected regularly?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, including the data collection cycle and starting point of regular collection, if appropriate.
Have minimum standards for identification of support needs and reporting on support received been set, including through common definitions of relevant terminology, common approaches, etc.?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.
Is a process in place for secure archiving of data on MRV of support?	Choose an item.
Please use this field to provide more information on the situation, if appropriate.

Prioritised list of actions

After you have filled out the above table to the extent possible, please click the button to create an overview table on actions to be taken in the short-, medium- and long-term. If you change any of your actions or their urgency in Table 1, please click the button again to update the action table.

Table 2 Actions required in the short-, medium- and long-term

Question number	Actions required
Actions to be addressed in the short-term
1
2
Actions to be addressed in the medium-term
3
4
5
Actions to be addressed in the long-term
6
7

“Guidelines for the preparation of national communications from Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention”(http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/cop8/07a02.pdf#page=2).

“Guidelines for preparation of biennial update reports (BURs) from non-Annex I Parties” (2/CP.17, Annex III, http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2011/cop17/eng/09a01.pdf).

“Modalities and guidelines for international consultation and analysis” (2./CP.17, Annex IV, http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2011/cop17/eng/09a01.pdf).

Requirements and methodologies according to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for Greenhouse Gas Inventories (see http://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/2006gl/) or the Revised 1996 Guidelines for Greenhouse Gas Inventories (http://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/gl/invs1.html) instead, depending on which of the two guidelines the country has decided to use. Additionally, the Good Practice Guidance and Uncertainty Management in National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (http://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/gp/english/index.html).

Guidelines for preparation of biennial update reports (BURs) from non-Annex I Parties” (2/CP.17, Annex III, http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2011/cop17/eng/09a01.pdf).

For example the IPCC Waste Model in Excel http://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/2006gl/pdf/5_Volume5/IPCC_Waste_Model.xls and the UNFCCC Non-Annex I Inventory Software, see https://unfccc.int/national_reports/non-annex_i_national_communications/non-annex_i_inventory_software/items/7627.php.

Consistency might, among others, relate to approaches for setting SMART indicators or common assumptions. An example for common assumptions: where several actions include emission reductions related to energy consumption, baselines used for these actions would use common assumptions related to the development of energy demand, energy prices, average emission intensity of power, emission factors for fuels, etc. Furthermore, common minimum standards might relate to data quality, accuracy of approaches, etc.

Such terminology might include “climate change”, “mitigation”, “adaptation”, “technology transfer”, “capacity building”.

Such approaches include, e.g. allocating shares of financial flows dedicated to several targets (e.g. mitigation as well as adaptation) to the specific target, or allocating flows from various donors to each single donor for the purpose of reporting.