The Nairobi work programme on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change

1. Overview

This submission contains the views of the Australian Government on the progress of the Nairobi work programme on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change (NWP), as requested by SBSTA under paragraph 18 of FCCC/SBSTA/2010/13. Australia also draws attention to its previous submissions on the NWP1.

The Cancun Agreements delivered a balanced package of decisions across all UNFCCC bodies. Guided by the Cancun Agreements, it will be important to use the negotiating forums at our disposal to progress work in a coordinated way, utilising the bodies best suited and consider joint work programmes where useful.

Australia welcomes the opportunity to submit its views under the Cancun Agreements on the NWP. In summary, Australia considers that:

  • the NWP has resulted in useful collaboration and information products on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change and it would be valuable to continue this work, pending results of the review; and
  • any further activities should remain within current mandate and agreed areas of work, and support a coherent approach to the adaptation agenda under the UNFCCC .

2. Nairobi work programme on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change

Australia considers that the Nairobi work programme has made good progress towards its objectives. It has played a useful role in facilitating collaboration, knowledge sharing and linking expertise, and has made a valuable contribution to Parties’ understanding and assessment of impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change.

Australia supports the continuation of the NWP under its current mandate, pending the results of the review to be completed by SBSTA 34. We support a continuing focus on information-sharing and networks, to the extent that this continues to be useful to the target groups for whom information exchange, technical workshops and dissemination of information products on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change are aimed under the programme.

Pending consideration of the review, Australia considers that continuing work could usefully advance progress towards the NWP’s existing objectives – to improve Parties’ capacity to make informed adaptation decisions. Any further activities under the NWP should remain within the current nine areas of work, recognising that these were agreed upon after extensive negotiations:

  • Methods and tools;
  • Data and observations;
  • Climate modelling scenarios and downscaling;
  • Climate related risks and extreme events;
  • Socio-economic information;
  • Adaptation planning and practices;
  • Research;
  • Technologies for adaptation; and
  • Economic diversification.

To maximise synergies and support a coherent approach to the adaptation agenda under the UNFCCC, the potential for future interaction between the NWP and Adaptation Committee should be given further consideration to ensure that any duplication of effort is avoided. More broadly, and for the same reasons, we would like to see explicit discussion between the Parties on how NWP would fit into the newly established Cancun Adaptation Framework overall.

1 SBSTA/2007/MISC.4; SBSTA/2008/MISC.3/Add.2