1. As the decision has been made to make guidelines necessary to implement the Paris Agreement by 2018 at the 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 22) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), held in November 2016 after the Paris Agreement entered into force on November 4, 2016, a negotiation meeting to discuss the matter will be held in Bonn, Germany, from May 8 to 18.

o The meeting will be attended by delegates from about 190 Parties to the UNFCCC, including the EU.

- The ROK delegation, led by Ambassador for Climate Change Kim Chan-woo of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will consist of officials from relevant government agencies, including the Office for Government Policy Coordination, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Environment, and the Korea Forest Service, as well as experts from relevant research institutes.

2. The forthcoming meeting, which will mark the first negotiation meeting since the COP 22, is expected to serve as an opportunity to further specify the views and positions of each country on various agendas, necessary to successfully implement the Paris Agreement.

o In a meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA), participants will discuss mechanisms and procedures regarding major provisions in the Paris Agreement, including Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), a transparency framework to track countries’ implementation, the global stocktake, and mechanisms to facilitate implementation and compliance.

o In a meeting of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA), participants will discuss a technology framework, the impact of measures to respond to climate change, market mechanisms under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, climate finance, capacity building, agriculture, and land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF).

o As the Facilitative Dialogue, which is a meeting to prepare for the global stocktake, a comprehensive review of countries’ implementation of the Paris Agreement set to take place in 2023, is scheduled to be held at the 24th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 24) in 2018, participants will also discuss concrete ways to hold the Facilitative Dialogue.

3. Ahead of the upcoming negotiation meeting, the ROK submitted proposals containing its views on negotiation agendas jointly with other members of the Environmental Integrity Group (EIG), which the ROK belongs to, and independently.

o The ROK submitted its proposals independently on key agendas regarding the implementation of the Paris Agreement, including Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), market mechanisms, and a transparency framework.

4. In the process of adopting the Paris Agreement, developed and developing countries reached a broad consensus, but there is disagreement between them on the detailed rules for implementation. As such, the ROK will actively play a bridging role between the two sides, thereby contributing constructively to making progress in negotiations. The ROK will also make active efforts to ensure that its views are reflected to the maximum extent possible in key areas which the ROK has a vital interest in.


* unofficial translation