Measuring, reporting and verification of greenhouse gases refers to estimating, reporting and verifying actual carbon emissions equivalent over a defined period of time, which is also embedded under Article 13 of the Paris Agreement - Mr. Tutii Chilton, Chair of the Regional Pacific NDC Hub Steering Committee
The Regional Pacific Nationally Determined Contribution Hub held a three-day virtual capacity-building workshop on measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for its Pacific Government counterparts from 27 – 29 October 2020.
Coordinated by the Hub’s implementation partner, the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), the workshop focused on enhancement of local capacities for collecting, reporting and retention of GHG emissions data to support national reporting, using tailored methodologies and measurement systems, and understanding the institutional and governance settings associated with MRV of GHG emissions.
Around 76 participants took part in the virtual workshop from the 15 member countries and territories of the Pacific NDC Hub.
Opening the virtual workshop, NDC Hub Steering Committee Chair, Mr. Tutii Chilton said the MRV of GHG emissions could potentially play an important role in setting sector-specific baseline and targets of GHG emissions, assisting countries to benefit from enhancing its NDC mitigation and adaptation ambitions.
“Measuring, reporting and verification of greenhouse gases refers to estimating, reporting and verifying actual carbon emissions equivalent over a defined period of time, which [MRV] is also embedded under Article 13 of the Paris Agreement.,” said Mr. Chilton.
“This is particularly useful for us in the Pacific as we have high mitigation and adaptation ambitions and this workshop arrives at an opportune time as it will lay the groundwork for equipping our teams working on NDCs to be informed about MRV processes and requirements under the Paris Agreement and beyond”, he said.
The NDC Hub Project Manager, Christian Görg said the workshop was a direct response by the Regional Pacific NDC Hub to its member countries request for an MRV capacity building training earlier in 2020. “We are pleased to have conducted this timely workshop as countries are currently preparing their enhanced NDCs and this would add great value to it,” said Mr. Görg.
“These important activities are only possible due to the strong collaboration between both regional and international organisations working on climate action coming together to share their expertise, and the generous financial support provided by the Germany, New Zealand, Australia and United Kingdom Governments that enable for such workshops to happen.”
The workshop was delivered through collaboration and a range of presentations by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), Pacific Community (SPC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), The Ministry of Primary Industries of New Zealand, the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources of the Australian Government, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting (MURC), AECOM (New Zealand) and Ekos (New Zealand).
The Fiji Ministry of Economy also moderated an important session during the workshop and shared their experiences with participants.
Mr. Nelson Kalo, Principal Scientific Officer Mitigation for Vanuatu Climate Change Department, who participated in the workshop acknowledged the value in countries sharing their experiences and demonstrating “how each country could learn from each other to build up and strengthen their MRV systems in-country.”
Ms. Aradhana Singh, Climate Change Officer for Fiji’s Climate Change Division echoed this statement, saying there was a definite “need for a coordinated, integrated and systematic approach to set up a GHG Inventory MRV system”.
The Hub is administered by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), through the generous support from the Germany, United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia Governments.
