Climate change – scoping the issues

(c) Conference of the Parties and Subsidiary Bodies
The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the highest decision-making authority. It is an association of all the countries that are Parties to the Convention. The COP is responsible for overseeing international efforts to address climate change. It reviews the implementation of the Convention and examines the commitments of Parties in light of the Convention’s objective, new scientific findings and experience gained in implementing climate change policies. ³⁹


(d) Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI).
The Convention established two permanent subsidiary bodies: the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI). These bodies give advice to the COP and each has a specific mandate. They are both open to participation by any Party and in some cases NGOs and other intergovernmental agencies. SBSTA’s task is to provide the COP with advice on scientific, technological and methodological matters. SBSTA’s key areas of work include promoting the development and transfer of environmentally-friendly technologies, and conducting technical work to improve the guidelines for preparing national communications and emission inventories. SBSTA also carries out methodological work in specific areas, such as the Land use, Land use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sector, hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs) and per fluorocarbons (PFCs), and adaptation and vulnerability. SBSTA also plays an important role as the link between the scientific information provided by expert sources such as the IPCC on the one hand, and the policy-oriented needs of the COP on the other. It works closely with the IPCC, sometimes request specific information or reports from it, and also collaborates with other relevant international organizations that share the common objective of sustainable development.⁴⁰

The SBI gives advice to the COP on all matters concerning the implementation of the Convention. One of its major task is to examine the information in the national communications and emission inventories submitted by Parties in order to assess the Convention’s overall effectiveness. It also provides advice to the COP on guidance to the financial mechanism (operated by the Global Environment Facility). The SBI advises the COP on budgetary and administrative matters and works together with SBSTA on cross-cutting issues such as capacity building, the vulnerability of developing countries to climate change and response measures, and the Kyoto Protocol mechanisms. ⁴¹