May 17, 2012
- FAO and partners have launched the "Organic Soils and Peatlands Climate Change Mitigation Initiative" at the UNFCCC Climate Talks in Bonn, Germany. At the launch event, FAO released the initiative's first publication on guidance for mitigation from peatlands, which includes summaries of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions quantification methodologies.
- The FAO soil survey project for Tanzania was presented at the UNFCCC Climate Talks in Bonn, Germany. FAO noted that while soil carbon models are available for Europe, the US, Canada and Japan, the assessment will allow the testing and calibration of soil carbon models for applicability in East Africa.
- The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has released the first Africa Human Development Report, which examines why hunger continues to be so prevalent in the region and puts forward a series of policy recommendations across the development agenda.
- In the report, the Expert Review Team (ERT) that conducted the centralized review concludes that Monaco’s inventory submission is complete and was prepared and reported in accordance with the UNFCCC reporting guidelines. It also concluded that the GHG inventory is generally in line with the various guidelines by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), with the exception of certain areas.
- The Government of Peru has formally requested the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to take on the role of coordinator of all projects and initiatives involved with the forestry sector in that country. Since 2011, FAO has worked closely with Peru's Environment and Agriculture Ministries, on a project called "National Inventory of Forests and Sustainable Forest Management of Peru in the Face of Climate Change."
- The Food and Agriculture Organization's 31st Regional Conference for the Near East is focusing on food waste, climate change impacts and the creation of a regional trust fund for agricultural development. Climate change discussions are expected to focus on freshwater, fisheries, and forestry and land use management.
May 14, 2012
- In the report of the centralized review of the 2011 annual submission of Hungary, the Expert Review Team (ERT) that conducted the centralized review concludes that Hungary's inventory submission was prepared in compliance with the IPCC reporting guidelines.
- The UNFCCC Secretariat has released a technical paper titled "Quantified Economy-Wide Emission Reduction Targets by Developed Country Parties to the Convention: Assumptions, Conditions, Commonalities and Differences in Approaches and Comparison of the Level of Emission Reduction Efforts."
May 11, 2012
- UNDP has released its regional human development report for Asia Pacific, titled "One Planet to Share – Sustaining Human Progress in a Changing Climate." The report emphasizes that, to achieve a shift to a greener economy, countries in the region will need to change their production patterns, including in the energy, industrial and agricultural sectors.
May 10, 2012
- The UNFCCC Secretariat has released two joint submissions from Parties contain their views on: robust and transparent national forest monitoring systems as referred to in paragraph 71c of decision 1/CP.16 as requested by the SBSTA at its 35th session; and on how to address drivers of deforestation and forest degradation as referred to in paragraph 71c of decision 1/CP.16 as requested by the SBSTA at its 35th session.