South Asia Network for Enhancing Climate Transparency

SOUTH ASIA NETWORK FOR ENHANCING CLIMATE TRANSPARENCY

GLOBAL SUPPORT PROGRAMME – GSP

INITIAL CAPACITY ASSESSMENT REPORT FOR THE GSP SOUTH ASIA NETWORK

Initial Capacity Assessment Report for the GSP South Asia Network

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DISCLAIMER This publication has been produced as part of a component of the Global Support Programme (GSP) implemented by the UNEP DTU Partnership (UDP). The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the GSP or UDP.

PUBLISHED BY

Global Support Programme (GSP) and UNEP DTU Partnership (UDP).

PREPARED UNDER Global Support Programme (GSP) supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

Acknowledgment

We would like to express our gratitude to the Global Support Programme for selecting the South Asia and Southeast Asia regions to establish the collaboration networks in order to enhance the climate transparency activities.

We appreciate the contributions and continued support extended by all representatives of the countries and international organizations such as UNDP, UNEP, UNFCCC, and ASEAN Secretariat.

We would also like to appreciate Ms. Fatima-Zahra Taibi, Senior Advisor of UNEP-DTU Partnership, for her contributions in supervising, reviewing, editing, and providing valuable inputs to improve the quality of this report.

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List of Acronyms

2006 IPCC Guidelines 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories AC Adaptation Communication AD Activity data AF Afghanistan AFOLU Agriculture Forestry and Other Land Use AR Assessment Report BD Bangladesh BT Bhutan BTR Biennial transparency report BUR Biennial Update Report CGE Consultative Group of Experts CMA the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement CO Carbon monoxide COP Conference of the Parties CTF Common Tabular Format EF Emission Factors ETF Enhanced Transparency Framework FNC Fourth National Communication FOLU Forestry and other land use GHGs Greenhouse gases GPG Good Practice Guidance GSP Global Support Programme GWP Global Warming Potential HFC Hydrofluorocarbons ICA International Consultation and Analysis ICAT Initiatives for Climate Action Transparency IN India INC Initial National Communication IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

IPCC good practice Good Practice Guidance and Uncertainty Management in guidance National Greenhouse Gas Inventories IPCC good practice Good Practice Guidance for Land Use, Land-Use Change, and guidance for LULUCF Forestry IPPU Industrial processes and product use LK Sri Lanka LULUCF Land Use, Land Use Change, and Forest MPGs Modalities, Procedures, and Guidelines MRV Measurement, Reporting, and Verification MV Maldives NC National Communication NDC Nationally Determined Contributions NIR National Inventory Report NMVOC Non-methane volatile organic compounds

NOX Nitrogen oxides NP Nepal PFC Perfluorocarbons PK Pakistan QA/QC Quality assurance/quality control Revised 1996 IPCC Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Guidelines Inventories SA South Asia SANM South Asia Network Members SEA Southeast Asia SEANM Southeast Asia Network Members

SF6 Sulfur hexafluoride SNC Second National Communication

SOX Sulfur oxides TIMES The Integrated MARKAL-EFOM System TNC Third National Communication UNEP United Nations Environment Program UNFCCC United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change

Glossary of Terms

Adaptation Adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which moderates harm or exploit beneficial opportunities. Capacity In the context of climate change, the process of developing the building technical skills and institutional capability in developing countries and economies in transition, to enable them to address effectively the causes and results of climate change. COP Conference of the Parties. The supreme body of the Convention. It currently meets once a year to review the Convention's progress. The word "conference" is not used here in the sense of "meeting" but rather of "association". The "Conference" meets in-sessional periods, for example, the "fourth session of the Conference of the Parties." Fugitive fuel Greenhouse-gas emissions as by-products or waste or loss in the emissions process of fuel production, storage, or transport, such as methane given off during oil and gas drilling and refining, or leakage of natural gas from pipelines. GWP An index representing the combined effect of the differing times greenhouse gases remain in the atmosphere and their relative effectiveness in absorbing outgoing infrared radiation. ICA International consultation and analysis, a form of review currently being negotiated and designed in the UNFCCC intergovernmental process. LULUCF A greenhouse gas inventory sector that covers emissions and removals of greenhouse gases resulting from direct human-induced land use, land-use change, and forestry activities. LDCs The world's poorest countries. The criteria currently used by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for designation as an LDC include low income, human resource weakness, and economic vulnerability. Currently, 48 countries have been designated by the UN General Assembly as LDCs.

Mitigation In the context of climate change, a human intervention to reduce the sources or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases. Examples include using fossil fuels more efficiently for industrial processes or electricity generation, switching to solar energy or wind power, improving the insulation of buildings, and expanding forests and other "sinks" to remove greater amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. MRV Measurable, reportable, and verifiable. A process/concept that potentially supports greater transparency in the climate change regime. National A document submitted following the Convention (and the Protocol) communication by which a Party informs other Parties, of activities undertaken to address climate change. Most developed countries have now submitted their fifth national communications; most developing countries have completed their first national communication and are in the process of preparing their second. NDC According to Article 4 - paragraph 2 of the Paris Agreement, each Party shall prepare, communicate, and maintain successive nationally determined contributions (NDCs), that it intends to achieve. Parties shall pursue domestic mitigation measures, to achieve the objectives of such contributions. Non-Annex I This refers to countries that have ratified or acceded to the United Parties Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. which are not included in Annex I of the Convention. Party A state (or regional economic integration organization such as the European Union) that agrees to be bound by a treaty and for which the treaty has entered into force. Sink Any process, activity, or mechanism which removes a greenhouse gas, an aerosol, or a precursor of greenhouse gas from the atmosphere. Forests and other vegetation are considered sinks because they remove carbon dioxide through photosynthesis.

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Sustainable Development that meets the needs of the present without development compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Technology A broad set of processes covering the flows of know-how, experience, transfer and equipment for mitigating and adapting to climate change, among different stakeholders. Vulnerability The degree to which a system is susceptible to, or unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate change, including climate variability and extremes. Vulnerability is a function of the character, magnitude, and rate of climate variation to which a system is exposed, its sensitivity, and its adaptive capacity. Source: UNFCCC- 2020d, Glossary of climate change acronyms and terms

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgment ...... III

List of Acronyms ...... IV

Glossary of Terms ...... VI

List of Tables ...... XI

List of Figures ...... XII

List of Annexes ...... XIII

Executive Summary ...... XIV

1 Background ...... 1

2 Introduction ...... 3

3 Methodology...... 9

4 Overview of the status of National Communications of South Asia ...... 10

4.1 Status of the submission, use of IPCCC guidelines and the GWP ...... 10

4.1.1 Status of submissions ...... 10

4.1.2 Use of the IPCC guidelines ...... 11

4.1.3 Use of the Global Warming Potentials (GWPs) ...... 12

4.2 Analysis of the content of the reports to identify the gaps and needs ...... 13

4.2.1 Outline of the NCs ...... 13

4.2.2 National Circumstances...... 14

4.2.3 National GHG inventory ...... 17

4.2.4 Programs containing measures to facilitate adequate adaptation to climate change 22

4.2.5 Programs containing measures to mitigate climate change...... 24

4.2.6 Other information considered relevant to the achievement of the Convention ...... 25

4.2.7 Constraints and gaps, and related financial, technical, and capacity needs 26

4.2.8 Common capacity building needs of the SANMs ...... 27

4.3 Existing institutional arrangement ...... 28

4.3.1 Institutional Summary for NC Submission in South Asian Region ...... 28

4.3.2 Common gaps identified in the existing institutional arrangements ...... 29

5 Overview of the status of Biennial Update Reports of South Asia ...... 31

5.1 Status of the submission, use of IPCCC guidelines and the GWP ...... 31

5.1.1 Status of the submissions ...... 31

5.1.2 Use of the IPCCC guidelines ...... 32

5.1.3 Use of the Global Warming Potentials (GWPs) ...... 32

5.2 Analysis of the content of the report to identify gaps and needs ...... 33

5.2.1 Outline of the BUR...... 33

5.2.2 National circumstances and institutional arrangement ...... 34

5.2.3 National GHG Inventory ...... 35

5.2.4 Mitigation actions and their effects, including associated methodology and assumptions ...... 39

5.2.5 Other information considered relevant to the achievement of the Convention ...... 40

5.2.6 Constraints and gaps, and related financial, technical, and capacity needs, including a description of support needed and received...... 41

5.3 Existing Institutional Arrangement ...... 42

5.4 Outcomes of the international consultation and analysis (ICA) ...... 43

5.4.1 Technical Analyses ...... 43

5.4.2 Facilitative sharing ...... 44

6 Conclusion ...... 45

7 References ...... 46

List of Tables Table 1: Preparation and submission status of National Communications of SANM ...... 10 Table 2: Aligning the outline of NCs submitted by SANM with UNFCCC requirements ... 13 Table 3: Status and gaps in the content of the national circumstances chapter of NC submitted by SANM ...... 16 Table 4: Content of the GHG inventories in the NCs submitted by SANMs ...... 20 Table 5: Emission sectors and sub- sectors covered in the NCs submitted by SANMs ..... 20 Table 6: Analysis of the programs which contain measures to facilitate adequate adaptation to climate change in SA ...... 23 Table 7: Analysis of the programs which contains measures to mitigate climate change in SA ...... 24 Table 8: Other information related to the implementation of the Convention as given in NCs of SANMs...... 25 Table 9: Identified constraints and gaps, financial, technical, and capacity needs of SANM ...... 26 Table 10: Common capacity building needs as per the NCs of the SANM ...... 27 Table 11: Preparation and submission status of BURs of SANMs ...... 31 Table 12: Aligning the outline of BUR submitted by SA Countries with UNFCCC requirements ...... 34 Table 13: Gaps in the content of the national circumstances chapter of BUR submitted by SANMs ...... 35 Table 14: Content of the GHG inventory in the BURs submitted by SANMs ...... 37 Table 15: Emission sectors and sub- sectors covered in the BURs submitted by SANMs ...... 37 Table 16: Content of the mitigation actions in the BURs submitted by SANMs ...... 39 Table 17: Information relevant to the achievement of the Convention in the BURs submitted by SANM ...... 40 Table 18: Constraints, gaps, and related financial and technical capacity needs to be identified in BURs submitted by SANM ...... 41 Table 19: Common capacity building requirements as per the BURs of the SANM ...... 41

List of Figures

Figure 1: Key elements of Enhanced Transparency Framework...... 3 Figure 2: Key elements of international consultation analyses ...... 8 Figure 3: IPCC guidelines used by countries in its latest NC ...... 11 Figure 4: GWP used by the SANM in its latest NC ...... 12 Figure 5: Generalized institutional arrangement of NC for the SANMs ...... 28 Figure 6: IPCC guidelines used by SANM in its latest BUR...... 32 Figure 7: GWP used by the SANM in its latest BUR ...... 33 Figure 8: Generalized institutional arrangement of BUR for the South Asian Region ...... 42 Figure 8: Generalized institutional arrangement of BUR for the South Asian Region ...... Error! Bookmark not defined.

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List of Annexes

Annex I Overview of National Communications and Biennial Update Reports Annex II Assess the content of the National Communications against the UNFCCC guidelines Annex III Existing Institutional arrangements to prepare National Communications and Biennial Update Reports Annex IV Assess the content of the Biennial Update Reports against the UNFCCC guidelines Annex V Capacity building requirements of the country as per the National Communications Annex VI Capacity building requirements of the country as per the Biennial Update Reports Annex VII Outcomes of the international consultation and analysis (ICA)

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Executive Summary South Asia network for enhancing climate transparency was initiated by the Global Support Programme (GSP) in order to provide technical guidance and assistance to the South Asian countries for the preparation of National Communications (NCs) and Biennial Update Reports (BURs).

Support for the network members is provided through active transparency entities, regional centers and international experts. Various means, such as, webinars, workshops, bilateral meetings, multilateral meetings, desk review of the documents, etc. will be used to support members. In addition, members will be encouraged to exchange: data and information; tools and methodologies; lessons learnt; and good practices, on the platform to be developed under this assignment in order to enhance the quality and utility of their reports.

Currently seven countries including Afghanistan (AF), Bangladesh (BD), Bhutan (BT), Maldives (MV), Nepal (NP), Pakistan (PK) and Sri Lanka (LK) from SA have confirmed their participation for the SA network.

Laying foundation to the Network, background data related to the transparency activities of the network members were studied. Latest NCs, BURs and NDCs submitted by network members to the UNFCCC were assessed against the requirements of the Convention.

A. National communications

In the SA network, the latest NCs submitted by Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, were considered for the analysis. Among those, Bangladesh has submitted its Third NC, and the other seven countries have submitted their Second NC. However, these countries including Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are at different stages of preparing the TNC.

In line with the UNFCCC guidelines for the NC, the majority of countries have used the 1996 IPCC guideline and IPCC AR2 for the report preparation. However, Bangladesh (for TNC) and the Maldives (for SNC) have used the 2006 IPCC guideline in SA.

Following the UNFCCC guidelines for NCs, the contents of the report were analyzed under six main categories: i) National Circumstances; ii) National GHG Inventory; iii) Programmes containing measures to facilitate adequate adaptation to climate change; iv)

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Programmes containing measures to mitigate climate change; v) Other Information considered relevant to the achievement of the objectives of the convention; and vi) Constraints and gaps and related financial, technical and capacity needs. Among others, the following were identified as the gaps in the NCs of South Asian countries;

I) Institutional arrangement

• Unavailability of clear TORs of various committees, task groups, and/or expert/thematic working groups involved in the preparation of the national communication; and • Absence of details on the overall institutional arrangements for the implementation, monitoring of adaptation/mitigation priorities.

II) GHG inventory

• Unavailability of procedures for managing uncertainties in inventory data and GHG emission calculations; • Exclusion of emission sources such as solvent and other product use from the inventory; and • Use of the Tier 1 approach for most of the emission source analyses.

III) Adaptation and mitigation

• Adaptation measures are not evaluated in terms of costs, practicability, environmental and cultural appropriateness; and • Unavailability of costs associated with the GHG reductions /mitigation projects.

IV) Other

• Details on the steps taken to integrate climate change considerations into national development and policy formulation are not available.

The transparency network aims at supporting the countries in SA region to overcome the identified gaps through mobilizing international expertise, facilitating knowledge/data sharing, and training.

B. Biennial Update Reports

The latest BURs submitted by South Asian countries were considered in the analyses. Three countries including Afghanistan, India and Maldives have submitted their BURs. Among these, India has submitted its second BUR whereas Maldives and Afghanistan have submitted their first BUR. However, the majority of South Asian countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) are yet to submit their initial BUR.

In preparing the BUR, countries have commonly used the IPCC 2006 guideline and IPCC AR2. Afghanistan was the only South Asian country to use the GWP values given in IPCC AR4 while both India and Maldives have used IPCC AR2.

In accordance with the UNFCCC guidelines for BUR , contents of the report were analyzed under five main categories: i) National circumstances and institutional arrangement; ii) National GHG Inventory; iii) Mitigation actions and their effect, including associated methodology and assumptions; iv) Other information considered relevant to the achievement of the convention; and v) Constraints and gaps, and related financial, technical and capacity needs, including a description of support needed and received. Gaps identified in the BURs for South Asian countries are listed below:

I) Institutional arrangement

• Unavailability of clear TORs of various committees, task groups and/or expert/thematic working groups involved in the preparation of the biennial update report.

II) GHG inventory

• Unavailability of procedures for managing uncertainties in inventory data and GHG emission calculations; • Commonly observed exclusions (E.g.: Emission sources such as solvent and other product use from the inventory); and • Use of Tier 1 approach for most of the emission source analyses.

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III) Other information considered relevant to the achievement of the convention are unavailability of information on:

• Climate change research and systematic observation; • Climate change education, training, and public awareness; • Measures to promote information exchange and networking; • Constraints and gaps, and related financial, technical and capacity needs, including a description of support needed and received; and • Information on opportunities to implement adaptation measures.

C. Institutional arrangement

As per the submitted NCs and BURs, countries have project specific and/or permanent institutional arrangements, which include, among others, national coordination agency/unit, data sources, etc.

Countries have maintained similar institutional arrangements over the successive submissions of international reporting to UNFCCC (NCs and BURs), while only minor modifications were observed.

Common elements of the institutional arrangements established by each country in order to develop the NCs and BURs are:

• The entity reporting to the UNFCCC (e.g., Ministry of Environment, Climate Change Secretariat); • The entities overseeing the operations within the country (E.g., National Steering Committee, National Project Director); and • Stakeholders and other institutions which provide required data and information on GHG inventory, vulnerability, and adaptation, etc.

The Entity reporting to the UNFCCC is the subject-specific ministry of any country (E.g., Ministry of Environment). This usually acts as the implementing and executing agency. Country specific differences were observed with the emergence of the second and the third layers of the institutional arrangements.

Country-wise similarities and gaps in each institutional arrangement were also observed and a summary of each given.

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1 Background

Global Support Programme (GSP) is jointly implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to provide technical guidance and assistance to non-Annex I Parties for the preparation of National Communications (NCs) and Biennial Update Reports (BURs). Under the GSP, countries will be provided with technical backstopping, tools, and targeted guidance, as well as training, to carry out the preparation of these reports. Assistance will be provided to strengthen the national institutional arrangements on MRV, to meet the new reporting requirements and also to ensure alignment with national development priorities.

Support will be provided through regional centers and international experts. Parties will also be encouraged to exchange data and information, tools and methodologies, lessons learned, and good practices to enhance the quality and utility of their reports.

The program started in 2015 and its first phase will end in October 2021. Within this period, it has successfully established knowledge-sharing networks in the African, Latin- American, Caribbean and Eastern European regions. Activities were expanded to the Asian region through the establishment of two networks covering South Asia (SA) and South-east Asia (SEA) to enhance the climate transparency of the region (UNDP & UNEP, 2020).

Climate Smart Initiatives (Pvt.) Ltd. has been selected to coordinate the South Asian network. UNEP DTU Partnership coordinate the overall efforts in the Asian region on behalf of UNEP and provide technical assistance to Parties.

Objective of the project

The main objective of establishing the South Asia Network is to facilitate the sustainable development of technical and institutional capacities through the exchange of experiences, and adoption of best practices for facilitating the timely development and submission of NCs and BURs.

Geographical boundary

South Asia1consists of the following eight countries:

Afghanistan (AF)

Bangladesh (BD)

Bhutan (BT)

India (IN)

Maldives (MV)

Nepal (NP)

Pakistan (PK)

Sri Lanka (LK)

1 Country codes as per the ISO 3166 https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#search 2

2 Introduction Non-Annex I Parties are required to submit their first National Communication (NC) within three years of entering the Convention, and every four years thereafter. The NCs are to be prepared following the guidelines contained in decision 17/CP.8 (UNFCCC, 2020h).

The first BURs of the non-Annex I Parties were to be submitted by December 2014 and every two years thereafter. Provisions were given to the least developed country Parties and Small Island Developing States to submit BURs at their discretion. The BURs are to be prepared following the guidelines contained in decision 2/CP.17 (UNFCCC, 2020a). The last Biennial Update Report (BUR) is to be submitted at the latest by 31 December 2024. The final biennial update reports which are submitted not later than 31 December 2024 will undergo the last ICA cycle during the period 2024-2026 (UNFCCC, 2020i).

With the introduction of the ETF by the Paris Agreement, BTR becomes the key report, including the NIR, to be submitted every two years starting from the first submission, not later than 31st December, 2024 (Figure 1). This way, the BTR will supersede the BUR for Parties to the Paris Agreement, at the latest by the end of 2024. (Maso & Canu, 2019).

Figure 1: Key elements of Enhanced Transparency Framework

Source: Maso & Canu -2019, Unfolding the reporting requirements for Developing Countries under the Paris Agreement's Enhanced Transparency Framework

I. National Communications (NCs)

National communication is a vital medium for the exchange of information on how each Party is implementing the Convention and also for highlighting the issues, problems, gaps, and constraints thereof, faced by non-Annex I Parties. It also facilitates the presentation of the information which guides the Global Environment Facility (GEF), as an operating entity of the financial mechanism of the Convention, in providing financial resources towards meeting the implementation costs of the Convention. Further, it provides the COP with the information required to assess the overall aggregated effects of the implementation of the Convention.

Each Party to the Convention prepares NC periodically following the guidelines developed and adopted by the Conference of the Parties (COP). Guidelines for the preparation of initial NCs from non-Annex I Parties were adopted at COP 2 in Geneva in 1996. COP 5 (Bonn, 1999) initiated a process of reviewing the guidelines to improve them, and established a Consultative Group of Experts (CGE) on National Communications from non-Annex I Parties to improve the process of preparation of NCs by non-Annex I Parties. At COP 8 (New Delhi, 2002) Parties adopted the revised guidelines for the preparation of national communications from Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention2 (UNFCCC, 2020e). (Hereinafter referred as UNFCCC guideline for NC)

The national communication serves as a medium for the presentation of information in a consistent, transparent, comparable, and flexible manner. As per Article 4, paragraph 1, of the Convention, the following information needs to be provided by the Parties in their NCs (UNFCCC, 2009).

(a) A national inventory of anthropogenic emissions by sources, and removals by sinks, of all greenhouse gases not controlled by the Montreal Protocol, to the extent its capacities permit, using comparable methodologies to be promoted and agreed upon by the Conference of the Parties;

2 https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/cop8/07a02.pdf#page=2 4

Under this, non-Annex I Parties are to report on the following GHGs: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and precursor gases. The extent to which non-Annex I Parties report on halocarbons will depend on the availability of data and financial resources.

(b) A general description of steps taken or envisaged by the Party to implement the Convention.

Non-Annex I parties may report on programs containing measures that facilitate adequate adaptation to climate change and that mitigate climate change.

(c) Any other information that the non-Annex I Party considers relevant to the achievement of the objectives of the Convention and suitable for inclusion in its communication, including if feasible, material relevant for calculations of global emission trends.

Non-Annex I Parties are to provide information on their contribution to and participation in research and systematic observations; their implementation of the framework for the transfer of technology for adaptation and mitigation; actions and issues relating to climate change education, training, and public awareness, capacity-building and information, and networking.

As per the UNFCCC guideline for NC, Non-Annex I Parties:

1. Should use the Revised 1996 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (hereinafter referred to as Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines), 2. Are Encouraged to apply the IPCC Good Practice Guidance and Uncertainty Management in National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (hereinafter referred to as the IPCC Good Practice Guidance), taking into account the need to improve transparency, consistency, comparability, completeness, and accuracy in inventories,

3. Are wishing to report on aggregated GHG emissions and removals expressed in CO2 equivalents, should use the global warming potentials (GWP) provided by the IPCC in its Second Assessment Report (“1995 IPCC GWP Values”) based on the effects of GHGs over a 100-year time horizon (hereinafter referred to as AR2). (UNFCCC, 2002)

II. Biennial Update Reports (BURs) The scope of the BURs is to provide an update of the most recently submitted national communication and to provide additional information about mitigation actions taken or envisaged to undertake, and their effects as well as support needed and received. COP 17 adopted the “UNFCCC biennial update reporting guidelines for Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention”, which are contained in Annex III to decision 2/CP.173 (UNFCCC, 2020b).

The BURs should be submitted either as a summary part of the national communication in the year in which the national communication is submitted or as a stand-alone update report. This essentially means that, if a non-Annex I Party is due to submit a BUR in the same year as its national communication is due, the Party may summarize the relevant information from the national communication addressing the key BUR elements(UNFCCC, 2020b).

The Consultative Group of Experts (CGE), with the support of the secretariat, assists developing country Parties in preparing their BURs by developing and making available training materials4 for the preparation of BURs and also conducting regional training workshops aimed at enhancing the capacity of national experts to prepare high-quality BURs consistent with the reporting requirements contained in decision 2/CP.17, Annex III (UNFCCC, 2020c).

Key elements of BUR:

1. National circumstances and institutional arrangements relevant to the preparation of the national communications continuously; 2. National inventory of anthropogenic emissions by sources, and removal by sinks of all GHGs not controlled by the Montreal Protocol, including a national inventory report; 3. Mitigation actions and their effects including associated methodologies and assumptions:

3 https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2011/cop17/eng/09a01.pdf#page=39 4https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/transparency-and-reporting/support-for-developing-countries/tools-and-training- materials-for-non-Annex-i-reporting#eq-4 6

I. Name and description of the mitigation action, including information on the nature of the action, coverage (i.e., sectors and gases), quantitative goals, and progress indicators II. Methodologies and assumptions III. Objectives of the action and steps taken or envisaged to achieve that action IV. Progress of implementation of the mitigation actions and the underlying steps taken or envisaged, and the results achieved, such as estimated outcomes (metrics depending on the type of action) and estimated emission reductions to the extent possible V. International market mechanism VI. Domestic measurement reporting and verification 4. Constraints and gaps, and related financial, technical, and capacity needs, including a description of support needed and received 5. Any other information that the non-Annex I Party considers relevant to the achievement of the objective to the Convention and suitable for inclusion in its BUR 6. Technical Annex (optional)

III. International Consultation and analysis (ICA)

International Consultation and Analysis (ICA) was one of the important decisions that came out from COP 16. The main task of the ICA was to analyze the Biennial Update Reports (BURs) from developing countries. It intends to increase the transparency of mitigation actions and also to support countries to identify their requirements in capacity building to perform better in the next submission.

International Consultancy Process is comprised of two main steps as follows;

− A technical analysis of BUR by a team of experts (TTE) − A facilitative sharing of views (In the form of a workshop)

The following diagram (Figure 02) illustrate the key elements of an international consultation analysis:

Figure 2: Key elements of international consultation analyses

Source: UNFCCC-2020f, international consultation and analysis

Outcomes of the technical analyses and facilitative sharing are reported and documented separately in the ICA Cycle. Specifically, in the technical analyses, details are reported under three main subsections as follows:

− The extent to which the elements of information on greenhouse gases are included in BUR reports. − The extent to which the elements of information on mitigation actions are included in BUR reports. − The extent to which the elements of information on finance, technology, and capacity-building needs and support received are included in the BUR reports.

3 Methodology All eight countries which represent South Asia Network Members (SANM) have submitted at least one national communication to the UNFCCC. The Latest submitted National Communications and Biennial Update Reports (BURs) were gathered from the UNFCCC databases5.

A checklist was prepared based on the latest UNFCCC guideline for NCs2 and the BURs3. Then the content of the latest submitted NC and BUR were analyzed against the checklist.

A questionnaire to identify the needs of each country to improve the reporting related to the transparency activities was developed and shared among the countries. Further, bilateral and multilateral discussions were carried out to understand the needs of each country and to identify the support required to improve transparency reporting.

5 https://unfccc.int/national-reports-from-non-Annex-i-parties 9

4 Overview of the status of National Communications of South Asia

4.1 Status of the submission, use of IPCCC guidelines and the GWP

4.1.1 Status of submissions

All the South Asia Network Members (SANM) have submitted at least two NCs as of the year 2020. Out of those countries, Bangladesh has already submitted its TNC to the UNFCCC (UNFCCC, 2020g). However, other countries including Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are at different stages of preparing the TNC. (GEF, 2019c; Died & Janathakshan, 2018; Rajesh Rai, 2019; Tribhuvan University, 2017; UNDP India, 2020; UNEP, 2009b). Please refer to Annex I for more details. Table 1 below summarizes the current status of the preparation and submissions by SANM.

Table 1: Preparation and submission status of National Communications of SANM

Country NC16 NC26 NC3

Afghanistan [LDC] 12 Mar 2013 25 May 2019 In progress7

Bangladesh [LDC] 12 Nov 2002 26 Dec 2012 22 Dec 20182

Bhutan [LDC] 13 Nov 2000 28 Nov 2011 In progress8

India 22 Jun 2004 4 May 2012 In progress9 Revised NC2 Maldives [SIDS] 5 Nov 2001 In progress10 28 Aug 2018 GHG inventory for 3rd NC is prepared Nepal [LDC] 1 Sep 2004 4 Dec 2015 (Tribhuvan University, 2017; UNEP, 2009b) Undergoing national Pakistan 15 Nov 2003 9 Aug 2019 approval process (GEF, 2019c)

6 https://unfccc.int/non-annex-I-NCs. 7https://www.thegef.org/project/umbrella-programme-preparation-national-communications-ncs-and-biennial-update-reports- burs 8 https://kuenselonline.com/nec-to-submit-third-national-communication-report-this-year/ 9https://www.in.undp.org/content/india/en/home/operations/projects/environment_and_energy/tnc.html. 10 Statement from the country representatives in country meetings 10

In progress (UNDP Sri Sri Lanka 6 Nov 2000 16 Mar 2012 Lanka, 2015)

Source: Own work, 2020

4.1.2 Use of the IPCC guidelines As per the UNFCCC guidelines for NC, 1996 IPCC guidelines and AR2 can be used by the Parties for reporting. Figure 3 illustrates the number of SANMs using each type of IPCC guideline. The guideline that was used was not indicated in the NCs of two SANMs.

IPCC methodologies used by countries in its latest NCs 7 6 6 5 5

4 3 3

No.of countries 2 2 2

1 1996 2000 2003 2006 Software IPCC methodology

Figure 3: IPCC guidelines used by countries in its latest NC Source: Own work, 2020 As illustrated in Figure 3, out of eight countries only two (Bangladesh and Maldives) have used the 2006 IPCC guideline. Further, Bangladesh and Pakistan have used the IPCC inventory software for the analysis.

Key to Figure 3:

• Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (IPCC 1996) were used by Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka

• IPCC Good Practice Guidance and Uncertainty Management in National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (IPCC 2000) were used by Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan • IPCC Good Practice Guidance for Land Use, Land-use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) (IPCC 2003) were used by Bhutan, India and Nepal • 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (IPCC 2006) were used by Bangladesh and Maldives • IPCC inventory software was used by Bangladesh and Pakistan

As the majority of the SANM utilized the 1996 IPCC guidelines, support can be provided to improve the analysis using 2006 IPCC guidelines and the software. Further, knowledge and good practices of the countries which have used the IPCC good practice guidance, and IPCC good practice guidance for LULUCF can be shared among the rest of the SANM.

Depending on the requirement, guidance and training can be provided to use the ‘Supplement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories: Wetlands’ and ‘Revised Supplementary Methods and Good Practice Guidance Arising from the Kyoto Protocol’

4.1.3 Use of the Global Warming Potentials (GWPs) The majority of SANMs have used AR2 for the analyses. However, other SANMs have used different ARs as shown in Figure 4 below:

Use of different GWP potentials by SANM countries in latest NCs 5 4 4

2 2

No.of countries 1 1 1

0 AR2 AR4 AR5 N/A IPCC Assessment Report used as reference for GWP

Figure 4: GWP used by the SANM in its latest NC

Source: Own work, 2020 Key to Figure 4:

• Assessment Report 2 (CO2-1, CH4 -21, N2O -310) was used by India, Nepal, Maldives and Sri Lanka

• Assessment Report 4 (CO2-1, CH4 -25, N2O-298) was used by Bangladesh

• Assessment Report 5 (CO2-1, CH4 -25, N2O-265) was used by Afghanistan • AR details were not indicated by Bhutan and Pakistan

4.2 Analysis of the content of the reports to identify the gaps and needs

4.2.1 Outline of the NCs A checklist of aligning the outline of NCs submitted by SANM with UNFCCC requirement is shown in table 02. All the SANM except Bhutan, who has not included a separate chapter on “Constraints and gaps and related financial, technical and capacity needs”, have followed the guidelines given by the UNFCCC for the NC, and included all the chapters shown below. Country specific analysis on the contents of the NCs are given in Annex II.

1. National Circumstances 2. National GHG Inventory 3. Programs containing measures to facilitate adequate adaptation to climate change 4. Programs containing measures to mitigate climate change 5. Other Information considered relevant to the achievement of the objectives of the convention 6. Constraints and gaps and related financial, technical, and capacity needs

Table 2: Aligning the outline of NCs submitted by SANM with UNFCCC requirements

Content AF BD BT IN MV NP PK LK

National Circumstances √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √

National GHG Inventory Programs containing measures to facilitate adequate √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ adaptation to climate change Programs containing measures to mitigate climate √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ change Other Information considered relevant to the √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ achievement of the objectives of the convention Constraints and gaps and related financial, technical, √ √ √x √ √ √ √ √ and capacity needs - Reported – Not Reported (√) (x) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ Source: Own work, 2020

4.2.2 National Circumstances Two prominent gaps were identified in the content reported under the national circumstances. As shown in Table 3, four countries out of the eight have not recorded the details of terms of references for the various committees, task groups, and/or expert/thematic groups established to sustain the national communication process. However, these four countries (Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) have given the information on the institutions involved in the preparation of the national communication.

Therefore, support can be provided to develop institutional arrangements that provide clear roles and responsibilities of the institutions involved in the process to ensure the sustainability of the NC preparation process.

All the SANMs have provided information on the socio-economic and environmental conditions of the countries. However, some countries such as Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal, and Pakistan have not provided education information. Further, Bangladesh has not provided any information on the economy of the country.

Therefore, guidance can be provided to these countries on the information required by the UNFCCC through the NCs.

The table below summarizes the status and gaps in the content of the national circumstances chapter of NC submitted by SANM:

Table 3: Status and gaps in the content of the national circumstances chapter of NC submitted by SANM

Content AF BD BT IN MV NP PK LK Relevant information provided on the socio-economic and environmental conditions that provide an overall understanding of climate change Geographical characteristics, including climate, forests, land use, and other √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ environmental characteristics Economy, including energy, transport, industry, mining, tourism, agriculture, √ x √ √ √ √ √ √ fisheries, waste, and health Education, including scientific and technical research institutions x √ x √ √ x x √ Development of institutional structure to sustain the national communication process The roster of institutions involved in the preparation of the national communication √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ Terms of reference for the various committees, task groups, and/or expert/thematic √ √ √ √ x x x x working groups involved in the preparation of the national communication. (√) - Reported (x) – Not Reported Source: Own work, 2020

4.2.3 National GHG inventory Afghanistan and Nepal are the only SANMs which have not provided the details on the thematic working group established to prepare the GHG inventory. Pakistan is the only SANM that has not conducted the key source analysis on its GHG inventory.

Unavailability of the validation process for the inventories through QA/QC measures and the peer review process was identified as the most common issue in the region. As per Table 4, these gaps were identified in five SANMs out of the eight.

Apart from the above Bhutan and Maldives have not identified the constraints and gaps related to the GHG inventory.

Based on the above information, it is recognized that the SA region requires support to formulate procedures for managing uncertainties in inventory data and GHG emission calculation.

Table 5 shows the sectors and sub sectors covered under GHG inventories of SANMs.

a) Energy

All the SANMs have reported key sources under the Energy sector except Maldives and Nepal as they haven’t included the emissions attributed to manufacturing industries and construction.

All the SANMs except India and Nepal have used Tier 1 approach for the calculation. As given in Table 4, India and Nepal have utilized a combination of Tier 1 and Tier 2 approaches for the analyses.

Therefore, support can be provided to overcome the difficulties to assess the emission sources that are not reported. Further, support can be provided to develop country/region-specific emission factors and improve the calculations using higher Tiers.

b) Industrial processes

As given in Table 4, most of the SANMs have only reported the GHG emissions attributed to mineral products, chemical industry, and metal production. Therefore, depending on the country's requirement, technical support can be provided to overcome barriers such as data collection and analysis of other sources.

India and Pakistan are the only SANMs that have provided data on the Tier used for the calculations. Other SANMs need to be encouraged to report data on the type of Tier used for the assessment. Support can be provided to developing country/region-specific emission factors to improve the assessment.

c) Solvent and other product use

No country except Sri Lanka has reported the emissions attributed to the solvent and other product use. Therefore, SA requires support to overcome the obstacles such as lack of technical capacity, data unavailability, etc. to include the emissions attributed to this sector in future NCs.

The Tier used for the assessment is not recorded.

d) Agriculture

Maldives is the only country that has excluded the Agriculture sector from the GHG inventory. Most of the SANMs have limited the assessment to enteric fermentation, manure management, rice cultivation, and agricultural soils. Out of the eight SANMs, only Sri Lanka has reported the emissions attributed to the prescribed burning of savannahs.

According to the above information, support can be provided to SA to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the Agriculture sector including all the emission sources. Special attention needs to be given to Malaysia.

India has used a combination of Tier1, 2, and 3 for the assessment. As per Table 4, only two other SANMs have provided information on the Tier, and both have used Tier 1. Therefore, this sector also needs support to develop country /region-specific emission factors.

e) Land- Use Change and Forestry

All the SANMs except for Maldives and Pakistan have reported emissions attributed to the LULUCF sector to different extents. All the SANMs have reported emissions attributed to changes in forest and other woody biomass stocks, and forest and grassland conversion. Support will be only required to improve the assessment related to the

abandonment of managed lands, CO2 emissions and removals from the soil and other sectors.

As shown in Table 4, India has used a Tier 2 approach for the assessment while Sri Lanka used the combination of Tier 1 and Tier 2. This knowledge can be shared among the other SANMs and support them to develop country/region-specific emission factors.

f) Waste

All the SANMs have reported emissions attributed to the waste sector to different extents. The Maldives is the only country that has not assessed the emissions attributed to the solid waste disposal to the land. Both Afghanistan and Maldives have not reported the emissions of wastewater handling. Only Maldives and Sri Lanka have reported emissions attributed to waste incineration.

As given in Table 4, India has used both Tier1 and Tier2 for the assessment while other SANMs have relied on the Tier1 approach.

According to the above information, SANMs can support each other by sharing knowledge and good practices in different sectors so that each country can conduct a comprehensive assessment of the waste sector.

Further details on the GHG inventory will be discussed under Chapter 2.7 based on the “Global Database of National GHG Inventory (GHGI) Capacity in Developing Countries” prepared by the GSP.

Table 4 below summarizes the content of the GHG inventories in the NCs submitted by SANMs

Table 4: Content of the GHG inventories in the NCs submitted by SANMs

Content AF BD BT IN MV NP PK LK Formulation of arrangements to collect and manage data for continuous inventory preparation Establishment of the thematic working group on GHG inventory x √ √ √ √ x √ √ Key source analysis √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ Updated, improved, and user-friendly GHG inventory database √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ Formulation of procedures for managing uncertainties in inventory data and GHG emission calculations Validation of inventories through QA/QC measures x √ x √ √ x x x Identification of constraints and gaps of the GHG inventory √ √ x √ x √ √ √ Peer review process established x √ √ √ √ √ x x

Table 5: Sectors and sub- sectors covered in the NCs submitted by SANMs

Content AF BD BT IN MV NP PK LK 1. Energy √ T1 √ T1 √ - √ T1, T2 √ T1 √ T1 √ T1 √ T1 A. Fuel Combustion (Sectoral approach) √ - √ - √ - √ - √ - √ - √ T1 √ - 1. Energy industries √ - √ - √ - √ T1, T2 √ - √ - √ T1 √ T1 2. Manufacturing industries and √ - √ - √ - √ T1, T2 x - x - √ T1 √ - construction 3. Transport √ - √ - √ - √ T1, T2 √ - √ T2 √ T1 √ T1 4. Other sectors √ - √ - √ - √ T1 √ - √ - √ T1 √ T1 B. Fugitive emissions from fuels √ - √ - √ - √ - x - x - √ T1 √ - 1. Solid fuels √ - √ - √ - √ T2 x - x - √ T1 x - 2. Oil and natural gas x - √ - √ - √ T1 x - x - √ T1 √ - 2. Industrial processes √ ------√ - √ T1 - - A. Mineral products √ - √ - √ - √ T1, T2 x - √ - √ T1 √ - B. Chemical industry √ - √ - √ - √ T1 x - x - √ T1 √ - C. Metal production √ - √ - √ - √ T1 x - x - √ T1 √ - D. Other product manufacture and use √ - √ - √ - x - x - x - x - √ - E. Production of halocarbons and Sulphur x - - - x - x - x - x - x - x - hexafluoride

F. Consumption of halocarbons and Sulphur x - - - x - x - x - x - x - x - hexafluoride G. Other (please specify) √ - - - x - √ T1 x - x - x - √ - 3. Solvent and other product use x - x - x - x - - - x - x - √ - 4. Agriculture √ - √ - √ - √ - x - √ - √ T1 √ - A. Enteric fermentation √ - √ - √ - √ T2, T3 x - √ - √ T1 √ T1 B. Manure management √ - √ - √ - √ T1 x - √ - √ T1 √ T1 C. Rice cultivation √ - √ - √ - √ T3 x - √ - √ T1 √ - D. Agricultural soils √ - √ - √ - √ T2 x - √ - √ T1 √ T1 E. Prescribed burning of savannahs x - x - x - x - x - x - x - √ - F. Field burning of agricultural residues √ - x - √ - √ T1 x - x - √ T1 √ - G. Other (Lime, Urea application) x - - - x - x - x - x - x - x - 5. Land- Use Change and Forestry √ - √ - √ - √ - x - √ - √ T1 √ - A. Changes in the forest and other woody √ - √ - √ - √ T2 x - √ - x - √ T2 biomass stocks B. Forest and grassland conversion √ - √ - √ - √ T2 x - √ - x - √ T1 C. Abandonment of managed lands √ - x - √ - x - x - √ - x - x - D. CO2 emissions and removals from soil x - √ - x - x - x - √ - x - √ - E. Other (Please specify) x - - - x - √ T2 x - x - x - √ - 6. Waste √ ------√ T1 √ T1 - - A. Solid waste disposal on land √ - √ - √ - √ T2 x - √ - √ T1 √ - B. Wastewater handling x - √ - √ - √ T1, T2 x - √ - √ T1 √ - C. Waste incineration x - x - x - x - √ T1 x - - - √ - D. Other (Biological Treatment of Solid - Waste) x - - - x - x x - x - x - x - International Bunkers x - √ - √ - √ - √ - √ - x - √ - Aviation x - √ - - - √ T1 √ T1 √ - x - - - Marine x - - - - - √ T1 x - x - x - - - (√) - Reported (x) – Not Reported (-) - Details not available Source: Own work, 2020

4.2.4 Programs containing measures to facilitate adequate adaptation to climate change

In this section, countries need to provide data under three main categories which are: i) Completion of vulnerability assessments for priority systems, sectors or regions: ii) Identification of adaptation strategies and measures: and iii) Formulation of policy frameworks for developing and implementing adaptation strategies. Table 6 provides an analysis of the programs containing measures to facilitate adequate adaptation to climate change in SA.

Identified common issues under the vulnerability assessment are unavailability of the data on meeting proceedings, and improved awareness of vulnerability and adaptation issues, Training on the use and development of sector-appropriate methodologies relevant for decision-making. These gaps were identified in NCs of India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

The most notable gap identified under adaptation measures is that many SANMs (four out of eight) have not analyzed the adaptation activities in terms of costs, practicability, environmental and cultural appropriateness.

Apart from Pakistan and Sri Lanka, other SANMs have not provided data on capacity building, institutional strengthening, public awareness, and education-related activities.

As per the analysis shown in table 6, it has been recognized that the most common gap of NCs is the unavailability of the data on the policy frameworks for developing and implementing adaptation strategies. Five SANMs out of the eight have not identified barriers to the adaptation (e.g. legal arrangements, institutional management, financial and technological constraints) and also six of them have not provided any data on the institutional arrangement of the country which have been established to implement the adaptation priorities.

Therefore, support can be provided to establish a policy framework to develop and implement adaptation strategies.

Table 6: Analysis of the programs containing measures to facilitate adequate adaptation to climate change in SA

AF BD BT IN MV NP PK LK Completion of vulnerability assessments for priority systems, sectors, or regions Description of approaches, methodologies, and tools used, including scenarios for the √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ assessment of impacts of, and vulnerability and adaptation to, climate change Reports on vulnerability and impacts assessments √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ Summary of meeting proceedings, and improved awareness of vulnerability and adaptation √ √ √ x √ x x x issues Training on the use and development of sector-appropriate methodologies relevant for √ √ √ x x x x x decision-making Impacts of climate change on key vulnerable sectors/programs, including a description of √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ the uncertainties Identification of adaptation strategies and measures Strategies and measures for adapting to climate change, in priority systems, √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ sectors or regions Evaluation of adaptation measures in terms of costs, practicability, environmental and √ √ √ x √ x x x cultural appropriateness General policies that have implications for adaptation √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ General capacity-building and institutional strengthening √ √ √ √ √ √ x x Public awareness, education, and information provision √ √ √ x √ √ x x Formulation of policy frameworks for developing and implementing adaptation strategies Priority adaptation needs and concerns √ √ √ √ √ x x √ Barriers to adaptation, including legal arrangements, institutional management, √ x √ x x √ x x financial and technological constraints Opportunities for adaptation, including policies and measures x √ √ x √ √ x √ Description of overall institutional arrangements for the implementation of adaptation √ √ x x x x x x priorities (√) - Reported (x) – Not Reported Source: Own work, 2020

4.2.5 Programs containing measures to mitigate climate change This can be identified as the area that requires the most support for improvement. Table 7 provides the analysis of the programs that contain measures to mitigate climate change in SA.

Afghanistan and India have not developed the baseline and projection scenarios or identified the reduction potential for the mitigation activities. Only Maldives have integrated GHG reduction of mitigation actions/sectors with the associated cost by developing GHG mitigation marginal cost curves. Sri Lanka has not identified the opportunities or barriers to mitigation actions.

Therefore, support can be provided to analyze the mitigation measures with a special focus on the GHG mitigation marginal cost curves.

Similar to adaptation, SANMs have not reported the details related to the policy framework for implementing mitigation measures properly. As such, support needs to be provided to integrate mitigation measures into national development priorities, strengthen human, scientific, technical, institutional capacities to implement mitigation actions, establish institutional arrangements to monitor the mitigation actions, etc.

Table 7: Analysis of the programs that contain measures to mitigate climate change in SA

AF BD BT IN MV NP PK LK Completion of climate change mitigation analysis Baseline and mitigation scenarios and projections x √ √ x √ √ √ √ Identification of mitigation options related to the x √ √ √ √ √ √ √ most important future sources and sinks sectors Assessment of reduction potential and cost of x √ √ x √ √ √ x mitigation Integration of GHG reductions and costs across measures and sectors, through the construction x x x x √ x x x of marginal abatement cost curves Barriers and opportunities for mitigation √ √ √ √ √ √ √ x Formulation of policy frameworks for implementing mitigation measures Strategy to integrate mitigation measures into √ √ √ √ √ √ √ x national development priorities Strengthened capacity for mitigation assessment √ √ √ √ x √ x x (human/scientific/technical/ institutional Institutional coordination for monitoring √ √ √ x x x x x mitigation priorities identified Preparation of mitigation projects for funding √ x x √ x x x x (√) - Reported (x) – Not Reported

Source own work, 2020

4.2.6 Other information considered relevant to the achievement of the Convention The integration of climate change considerations into policy formulation can be identified as the most effective method to address climate change. However, as shown in Table 7, three SANMs out of the eight have not reported on this element. Another common gap identified under this section is the unavailability of the data on the actions taken to promote information exchange and networking.

Support can be provided to facilitate networking within the region and also knowledge can be shared on the importance of integrating climate considerations into the policy framework.

Table 8 summarizes the other information related to the implementation of the Convention as given in the NCs of SANMs

Table 8: Other information related to the implementation of the Convention as given in NCs of SANMs

AF BD BT IN MV NP PK LK Steps were taken to integrate climate change considerations into national development and √ √ √ √ x x √ x policy formulation Activities related to the transfer of environmentally sustainable technologies √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ Information on climate change research and √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ systematic observation Information on climate change education, training, and public awareness √ √ √ √ √ √ x √ Information on capacity building activities, options, √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ and priorities Measures to promote information exchange and √ √ x x √ √ x √ networking (√) - Reported (x) – Not Reported Source: Own work, 2020

4.2.7 Constraints and gaps, and related financial, technical, and capacity needs Elaborated details on the specific constraints, gaps, and needs that have been identified in the preparation of the national communication is reported under this section.

Though it is expected to report the information on financial and technical resources received for the preparation of national communications, most of counties have not reported these information.

Another common gap identified was that most of the SANMs have not proposed projects for financing.

Therefore, guidance can be provided to identify constraints, gaps, and capacity requirements, as it will be the foundation of the improvements to the transparency activities.

Table 9 below shows the Identified constraints and gaps; financial, technical, and capacity needs of SANM.

Table 9: Identified constraints and gaps, financial, technical, and capacity needs of SANM

Content AF BD BT IN MV NP PK LK Further elaboration on the specific constraints, gaps, and needs that have been identified in the preparation of the national communication Information on financial and technical resources provided for the preparation of national √ x √ x x x √ √ communications Proposed projects for financing x x √ x x √ x Information on opportunities to implement √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ adaptation measures Information on gaps and needs for technology √ x x √ √ √ √ √ transfer Additional needs for capacity building activities √ √ √ √ √ √ √ x (√) - Reported (x) – Not Reported Source: Own work, 2020

4.2.8 Common capacity building needs of the SANMs Capacity building needs of each country were collected from the latest submitted NCs. These needs were mainly identified under four different areas which are: i) GHG inventory, II) Mitigation Actions, III) Adaptation actions and the IV) Other. Table 10 below indicates common capacity building requirements as per the NCs of the SANMs.

Table 10: Common capacity building needs as per the NCs of the SANM

No Capacity building needs Countries Capacity building needs with respect to GHG inventory preparation 01 Data collection (both data collectors and Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, providers) Maldives, Nepal 02 Importance and process of data collection Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan for the National Communication 03 Developing country specific emission Bhutan, Nepal factors and improve the accuracy of the Emission factors Capacity building needs with respect to reporting mitigation actions 04 Tools to assess, monitor and evaluate the Afghanistan, India, Pakistan mitigation actions 05 Implementation of the mitigation action Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, (technology, integration with policies, etc.) Pakistan Capacity building needs with respect to reporting adaptation measures 06 Available technologies related to Afghanistan, Maldives, Nepal, Sri adaptation measures Lanka 07 Resilience to climate change Afghanistan, Bhutan 08 Financial analysis of adaptation measure Bangladesh, India 09 Implementation of the policy measures Bangladesh, India Other capacity building needs 10 Capacity building on climate change Bangladesh, Bhutan 11 Capacity building on research and India, Nepal development 12 Climate change modeling Pakistan, Sri Lanka Source: Own work, 2020 Regional, group and individual capacity building programmes can be carried out to enhance the capacities of SANMs to develop national communications, and also to overcome the climate change related challenges. Country specific requirements can be found in Annex V.

4.3 Existing institutional arrangement Institutional arrangements of most of the SANM were not informatively included in the available documents. However, considering the available information, the following format (Figure 5) was identified as a generalized arrangement for national communications in SANMs like India, Maldives, and Sri Lanka. Country specific information on the institutional arrangement was included in Annex III

4.3.1 Institutional Summary for NC Submission in South Asian Region Green colored entities were observed in all of the institutional arrangements and the yellow-colored entities were observed only in some of the SANMs.

Figure 5: Generalized institutional arrangement of NC for the SANMs Source: Own work, 2020

As mentioned above, the Ministry of Environment or the government body which is working on Climate Change was noted as the key entity for the implementation and execution of National Commitments. Right below the ministry, there was the national

steering committee which was formulated by advisory committees and expert committees. A national project director was commonly seen in all of the institutional arrangements and some SANMs (E.g. India) a separate entity called “project management unit/cell” was observed under the supervision of the national steering committee.

In some SANMs (E.g. Maldives), positions such as Finance Officer, Administrator, Sector coordinators (Inventory and Mitigation/Vulnerability and Adaptation) which could come within the project management unit were directly assigned to the project director without having a separate level called “project management unit/cell”.

National Circumstances and other information need to be added at ground level for the preparation of National Communications, GHG Inventory, Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation. However, National Circumstances and all the working groups which come under that (E.g. research and systemic observations, constraints and gaps, education research, and capacity building along with the improvements) were not included in the institutional arrangement of countries like the Maldives. However, National Communication has addressed these areas without notifying the entities involved in the background work.

Working groups that come under GHG Inventory (E.g. Waste, LULUCF, Agriculture, Industry, and Energy) remain almost similar over the region.

Throughout the region, Maldives was the only country that considered Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation measures for the Industry sector.

These differences and gaps were identified based only on the available information on the institutional arrangement and, SANMs like Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal and Pakistan were partially considered due to the lack of information.

4.3.2 Common gaps identified in the existing institutional arrangements a) Unavailability of a national coordination agency.

The Toolkit developed by the UNFCCC for establishment of the institutional arrangement (UNFCCC, 2013) recommends to establish a single body designated to be responsible for the overall coordination and management of the process of the preparation of national communications and BURs. Depending on the national circumstances of the country, the

key tasks of such a coordinating body could include to: (a) Plan and conduct all coordination and consultation activities with governmental and, if appropriate, non- governmental stakeholders; (b) Identify all institutions and teams that will be involved in the preparation of the national communication and the BUR, including establishing any formal working arrangements; (c) Allocate responsibilities for all components of the national communication and the BUR ensuring that there is a clear lead for each section, and establish a formal approval process; (d) Develop and monitor a time frame and schedule for the preparation of the national communication and the BUR, including specific milestones and dates for deliverables. b) Lack of coordination between the relevant stakeholders and the national coordination body

Due to the volume and diversity of the information to be included, the preparation of national communications and/or BURs generally requires the involvement of a wide range of stakeholders. Therefore, it is desirable that the stakeholders, in particular the providers or sources of key information necessary for the preparation of national communications and BURs, be identified and their involvement ensured. c) Lack of clearly defined roles and responsibilities

The sustainable functioning of the institutional arrangements highly depends on clearly defined roles and responsibilities including the procedures for the flow of necessary information and data. For the sustainable implementation of the institutional arrangement, it is strongly recommended that such linkages, roles and responsibilities, including the procedures for the flow of information and data collection and provision, be formalized through, preferably a memorandum of understanding, or any other formal agreement or a legal instrument, between the coordinating body and other relevant stakeholders involved in the process of and the preparation of the national communication and the BUR (UNFCCC, 2013). Please refer Annex III for more details.

5 Overview of the status of Biennial Update Reports of South Asia

5.1 Status of the submission, use of IPCCC guidelines and the GWP 5.1.1 Status of the submissions Table 11 presents the status of preparation and submission of BURs in SANMs. Three SANMs including Afghanistan, India, and the Maldives have submitted their BURs. Out of these three SANMs, India has submitted its first and second BURs respectively in 2015 and 2018 whereas Afghanistan and Maldives have submitted their first BURs in 2019. Please refer to Annex I for more details.

Table 11: Preparation and submission status of BURs of SANMs

Country BUR 111 BUR2

Afghanistan [LDC] 13 Oct 2019 In progress7

Bangladesh [LDC] In progress12 -

Bhutan [LDC] - -

India 22 Jan 201611 31 Dec 201811

Maldives [SIDS] 24 Nov 201911 -

Nepal [LDC] In progress13 -

Pakistan - -

Sri Lanka - -

Source: Own work, 2020

11 https://unfccc.int/BURs 12https://info.undp.org/docs/pdc/Documents/BGD/ProDoc%20signed_Bangladesh%20First%20Biennia l%20Update%20Report.pdf 13 https://mofe.gov.np/projectfile/011-unfccc_1575606676.pdf 31

5.1.2 Use of the IPCCC guidelines Both India and Maldives have applied two of the IPCC guidelines each. (India: IPCC 1996 and IPCC 2006, Maldives: IPCC 2000 and IPCC 2006) Whereas Afghanistan has applied only the IPCC 2006 guideline for its latest and the first BUR (Figure 6).

Use of different IPCC guidelines by SANM countries in latest BURs 4 3 3 2 1 1 1 No of Countries 0 1996 2000 2006 IPCC Guidelines

Figure 6: IPCC guidelines used by SANM in its latest BUR

Source: Hattori & Umemiya-2020, IGES Biennial Update Report (BUR) Database

Key to the Figure 6:

• Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (IPCC 1996) – India • IPCC Good Practice Guidance and Uncertainty Management in National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (IPCC 2000) - Maldives • 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (IPCC 2006) – Afghanistan, India, Maldives

5.1.3 Use of the Global Warming Potentials (GWPs)

As per the UNFCCC guidelines, two out of the three SANMs (India and Maldives) have used IPCC AR2 to extract the GWP values whereas Afghanistan has used the latest version, IPCC AR4. In general, the majority of the SANM have used IPCC 2006 guidelines and AR 2 for BUR preparation.

Use of different GWP potentials by SANM countries in latest BURs 2.5 2 2

1.5 1 1

No.of countries 0.5

0 AR2 AR4 IPCC Assessment Report used as reference for GWP

Figure 7: GWP used by the SANM in its latest BUR Source: Hattori & Umemiya-2020, IGES Biennial Update Report (BUR) Database Key to Figure 7:

• Assessment Report 2 (AR2) – India, Maldives • Assessment Report 4 (AR4) – Afghanistan

5.2 Analysis of the content of the report to identify gaps and needs

5.2.1 Outline of the BUR As per the UNFCCC guideline for the BUR, the following chapters need to be included in the report

1. National circumstances and institutional arrangement 2. National GHG inventory 3. Mitigation actions and their effects, including associated methodology and assumptions 4. Other information considered relevant to the achievement of the Convention 5. Constraints and gaps, and related financial, technical, and capacity needs, including a description of support needed and received.

All three SANMs who have submitted BURs, have included the above five chapters in their BUR reports as shown in the table given below. Country specific analysis on the contents of the BURs are given in Annex IV.

Table 12 below shows how well the submitted BURs align with the requirements of the UNFCCC.

Table 12: Aligning the outline of BUR submitted by SA Countries with UNFCCC requirements

Content AF IN MV National circumstances and institutional arrangement √ √ √

National GHG Inventory √ √ √ Mitigation actions and their effect, including associated methodology and assumptions. √ √ √

Constraints and gaps, and related financial, technical, and capacity needs, √ √ √ including a description of support needed and received Other information considered relevant to the achievement of the convention x √ √

(√) - Reported (x) – Not Reported

Source: Own work, 2020

5.2.2 National circumstances and institutional arrangement All the SANMs have reported the data related to the national circumstances and institutional arrangement in different extents. However, as given in Table 13 two gaps can be identified which were common for India and Maldives as these two countries have not reported detailed education information.

One particular gap regarding the institutional arrangement was also observed in India as terms of reference for the various committees, task groups, and/or expert/ thematic working groups involved in the preparation of the BUR were not included.

Considering the above facts, required support can be provided to find out more data regarding the education sector and also assistance can be provided particularly to India to uplift the institutional arrangement.

Table 13: Gaps in the content of the national circumstances chapter of BUR submitted by SANMs

Content AF IN MV Relevant information provided on the socio-economic and environmental conditions that provide an overall understanding of climate change concerns in the context of national development priorities. Geographical characteristics, including climate, forests, land use, and other √ √ √ environmental characteristics Population, including growth rate, distribution, density, and other key √ √ √ statistics

Economy, including energy, transport, industry, mining, tourism, agriculture, √ √ √ fisheries, waste, and health Education, including scientific and technical research institutions √ x x Development of institutional arrangement The roster of institutions involved in the preparation of the BURs √ √ √ Terms of reference for the various committees, task groups, and/or √ x √ expert/thematic working groups involved in the preparation of the BURs. (√) - Reported (x) – Not Reported

Source: Own work, 2020

5.2.3 National GHG Inventory Three SANMs have already established an arrangement to collect and manage data for the continuous preparation of the GHG inventory. Based on the requirements, technical support can be provided for these SANMs to improve the already established data management systems.

However, sector-wise gaps were observed as described in the following paragraphs;

a) Energy

In Afghanistan and India, all the sub-sectors (E.g. Fuel Combustion, Fugitive emissions from fuels) coming under the Energy sector have been addressed, but in Maldives, Fugitive emissions were not included. Therefore, assistance may have to provide in collecting data related to fugitive emissions in future submissions.

b) Industrial processes

The majority of the industrial processes were considered in both India and Afghanistan while missing a few sectors as given in Table 14. Significantly, none of the subsectors

which come under the industrial processes were considered in the GHG inventory of Maldives.

Therefore, assistance may have to be provided on collecting required data for the industrial process sector in future submissions.

c) Solvent and other product use

None of the SANMs have reported the emissions attributed to the use of solvents and other products. To complete a comprehensive GHG inventory in the future, further assistance may be required in collecting data regarding solvents and other products used in the region.

d) Agriculture

Emissions attributed to the agriculture sector were addressed in India and Afghanistan, except for the emission associated with the prescribed burning of Savannahs. However, none of the emissions which were attributed to agriculture were taken into consideration in the Maldives. Therefore, support can be provided to overcome the gaps and barriers in analyzing the emissions attributed to this sector.

e) Land- Use Change and Forestry

In the region, only India has considered emissions attributed to Land –Use Change and Forestry at least up to a certain extent, whereas the Maldives has not addressed it at all. Therefore, it is highly recommended to provide the required assistance to collect data on land-use change and forestry through the generation and to complete the GHG inventory.

f) Waste

A diversified approach was observed in the region in attributing emissions associated with the waste sector. Afghanistan has considered all the sub-sectors such as solid waste disposal on land, wastewater handling, and waste incineration while India has attributed emissions on solid waste disposal on land and wastewater handling. The Maldives has only attributed emissions associated with incineration. Therefore, it is important to provide assistance to identify the availability of data collection on several sub-sectors in the waste sector; and to provide further guidance in inserting collected data in the GHG inventory.

Table 14: Content of the GHG inventory in the BURs submitted by SANMs

Content AF IN MV Formulation of arrangements to collect and manage data for continuous inventory preparation Establishment of the thematic working group on GHG inventory √ √ √ Key source analysis √ √ √ Updated, improved, and user-friendly GHG inventory database √ √ √ Update the inventory on most recently submitted NCs √ √ x Formulation of procedures for managing uncertainties in inventory data and GHG emission calculation Validation of inventories through QA/QC measures √ √ √ Identification of constraints and gaps of the GHG inventory √ √ √

Table 15 indicates the different emission sectors and sub-sectors covered in the BURs.

Table 15: Emission sectors and sub- sectors covered in the BURs submitted by SANMs

Content AF IN MV √ 1. Energy - √ T1 - - √ - A. Fuel Combustion (sectoral approach) √ - - -

√ √ T1, T2, T3 √ T1 1. Energy industries - √ √ T1, T2, T3 X - 2. Manufacturing industries and construction - √ √ T1, T2 √ T1 3. Transport - √ √ T1, T2 √ T1 4. Other sectors - √ B. Fugitive emissions from fuels - - - - - √ √ T2, T3 X 1. Solid fuels - - √ √ T1 X 2. oil and natural gas - - √ 2. Industrial processes - - - - - √ √ T1, T2 X A. Mineral products - - X √ T1, T2 X B. Chemical industry - - √ √ T1, T2 X C. Metal production - - X X - X D. Other product manufacture and use - -

X √ T1 X E. Production of halocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride - - F. Consumption of halocarbons and sulfur X X - X - - hexafluoride X √ T1 X G. Other (please specify) - - √ - X 3. Solvent and other product use T1 X - √ 4. Agriculture - - - - - √ √ T1, T2 X A. Enteric fermentation - - √ √ T1 X B. Manure management - - √ √ T2 X C. Rice cultivation - - √ √ T2 X D. Agricultural soils - - X X X E. Prescribed burning of savannahs - - - √ √ X F. Field burning of agricultural residues - T1 - √ X X G. Other (Liming, Urea application) T1 - - X 5. Land- Use Change and Forestry - - - - - X √ T2 X A. Changes in forest and other woody biomass stocks - - X √ T2 X B. Forest and grassland conversion - - X X - X C. Abandonment of managed lands - - X X X D. CO2 emissions and removals from soil - - - X √ X E. Other (Please specify) - T2 - √ - 6. Waste - - T1 -

√ √ T2 X A. Solid waste disposal on land - - √ √ T1, T2 X B. Wastewater handling - - √ X T2 √ C. Waste incineration - T1 √ X T1, T2 X D. Other (Biological Treatment of Solid Waste) - -

√ International Bunkers - √ T1 - - √ √ Aviation - - - T1 √ X Marine - - - - (√) - Reported (x) – Not Reported (-) - Details not available Source: Own work, 2020

5.2.4 Mitigation actions and their effects, including associated methodology and assumptions Details regarding the mitigation actions and associated methodologies etc. were reported by all three countries as shown in Table 16. Therefore, significant gaps were not observed. Even though countries have reported details on the mitigation actions, it was observed that countries still have some capacity building needs in this area. Those needs are summarized in the Table 19 of this report. Accordingly, Afghanistan and the Maldives have requested capacity building for application of different methodologies to assess the impacts of mitigation action, Afghanistan, India and Maldives have requested capacity building on establishment of institutional arrangement and MRV systems. More details on the country specific requirements can be found in Annex VI.

Table 16: Content of the mitigation actions in the BURs submitted by SANMs Content AF IN MV Name and description of the mitigation action, including √ √ √ information on the nature of the action, coverage (i.e., sectors and gases), quantitative goals, and progress indicators Methodologies and assumptions √ √ √ Objectives of the action and steps taken or envisaged to achieve √ √ √ those. Progress of implementation of the mitigation actions, the √ √ √ underlying steps taken or envisaged, and the results achieved, such as estimated outcomes (metrics depending on the type of action) and estimated emission reductions, to the extent possible

International market mechanisms √ √ √ Domestic measurement reporting and verification √ √ √

(√) - Reported

Source: Own work, 2020

5.2.5 Other information considered relevant to the achievement of the Convention Out of the three SANMs, India has collected all required details that come under the achievements of the Convention. However, a common gap was identified in Afghanistan and Maldives as both these SANMs have not included details on the climate change research and systemic observations; climate change education public awareness; and promoting information exchange and networking; as given in Table 17.

Therefore, some assistance is required in incorporating the details on the above- identified gaps and especially on networking.

Table 17: Information relevant to the achievement of the Convention in the BURs submitted by SANM Content AF IN MV Steps were taken to integrate climate change considerations into national √ √ √ development and policy formulation

Activities related to the transfer of environmentally sustainable √ √ √ technologies Information on climate change research and systematic observation X √ X

Information on climate change education, training, and public awareness X √ X

Information on capacity building activities, options, and priorities √ √ √

Measures to promote information exchange and networking √ √ X

(√) - Reported (x) – Not Reported

Source: Own work, 2020

5.2.6 Constraints and gaps, and related financial, technical, and capacity needs, including a description of support needed and received. SANMs have identified constraints, gaps, financial and capacity needs up to different extents as shown in the Table 18. Some assistance may be required in the future for bridging these identified gaps and constraints.

Table 18: Constraints, gaps, and related financial and technical capacity needs to be identified in BURs submitted by SANM

Content AF IN MV Information on financial and technical resources provided for the √ √ √ preparation of BUR Proposed projects for financing √ X X Information on opportunities to implement adaptation measures X √ √ Information on gaps and needs for technology transfer √ √ √ Additional needs for capacity building activities √ √ √ (√) - Reported (x) – Not Reported

Source: Own work, 2020

Capacity building requirements of the SANMs were identified under three main categories which are: GHG inventory, mitigation actions and cross cutting activities as per Table 19. However, common requirements can only be identified under the GHG inventory preparation and reporting the mitigation actions. Country specific capacity buildings can be found in the Annex VI.

Table 19: Common capacity building requirements as per the BURs of the SANM

Capacity building requirements Country

Capacity building requirements with respect to GHG inventory Afghanistan, India, 01 Overall GHG inventory preparation Maldives Afghanistan, Maldives, 02 Collection and disaggregation of activity data India 03 Establishing institutional arrangement Afghanistan, India

04 Application of 2006 IPCC Guideline Afghanistan, Maldives

Capacity building requirements with respect to Mitigation actions 05 Reporting requirements of UNFCCC Afghanistan & Maldives Application of different methodologies to assess the Afghanistan & 06 mitigation actions Maldives Afghanistan, India, 07 Collection of required data Maldives Establishment of institutional arrangement and MRV Afghanistan, India, 08 systems Maldives 09 Assessing the impacts of the mitigation actions Afghanistan, India Source: Own work, 2020

5.3 Existing Institutional Arrangement SANMs like the Maldives showed the same institutional arrangement for both NC and BUR. The Only modification was there were two new additions as "BUR activities” and “Expert Advisory Committee on BUR’’ when compared with the initial NC arrangement.

Some of the SANMs updated the entire institutional arrangement while introducing a new hierarchical level under the BUR Secretariat. Figure 8 illustrates a generalized institutional arrangement for BUR in the South Asian region.

Figure 8: Generalized institutional arrangement of BUR for the South Asian Region

Source: Own work, 2020

The following gaps were identified in the institutional arrangement of BUR in the South Asian Region

− Not defining the entities and experts involved in BUR activities, and expert advisory committee on BUR in SANMs like the Maldives. − Having a specific position such as “BUR secretariat” seems to be an effective insertion. Therefore, it may be prudent to check on the possibility to add a similar office into the BUR institutional arrangement of the other SANMs as well.

Country specific information on the institutional arrangement was included in Annex III

5.4 Outcomes of the international consultation and analysis (ICA) Out of the eight countries in the South Asian region, three countries including Afghanistan, India, and the Maldives have submitted their BURs. However, ICAs have not yet been conducted on the BURs of Afghanistan and Maldives. BUR of India is the only BUR considered in the study covering South Asia. Detailed information is available in Annex VII.

5.4.1 Technical Analyses One of the key points identified in the technical analyses of the South Asian Region was that countries have reported information on mitigation actions up to the required level and some gaps were only observed in the information on greenhouse gases (inventory) as given below;

− Some detailed information on emissions were addressed only partly (E.g. When reporting the emissions, even though the main LULUCF subsectors were included, parameters like carbon stock changes were not reported). − Details on sub-sectoral emissions were partly addressed (E.g. Even though emissions from different sectors were reported (LULUCF, Waste, and Agriculture) detailed information associated with subsectors were not included. − Consistent time series to the years reported in the country’s previous NCs were not addressed properly.

− Anthropogenic sources of some emissions were partially reported whereas some sources were not reported at all (E.g., HFCs, PFCs, and SF6 were partially addressed and CO, SOx, NOx, and NMVOCs were not addressed). − Countries were requested to use notation keys in the absence of numerical data; However, a limited number of notation keys were used throughout the document. − Uncertainty assessments that had been carried out were not addressed completely. There is uncertainty associated with the entire document but only the uncertainty associated with few sectors are addressed.

5.4.2 Facilitative sharing

Canada, European Union, New Zealand, Turkey and the USA were the main parties involved in facilitative sharing. Following were the main and commonly raised concerns at facilitative sharing. Country specific details on each concern /gap were given in Annex VII.

− Application of key category analysis in the GHG inventory. − Potentiality to showcase the consistency and transparency of activity data and emission factors throughout the document. − Lessons learned during the documentation process.

As the ICA process has not yet been carried-out for the BURs of Afghanistan and the Maldives, most of the above information were collected from the ICA outcome of the BUR of India.

6 Conclusion One of the main objectives of this project is to facilitate the timely development and submission of the NCs and BURs. As such, all the latest summited NCs and BURs of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were assessed against the reporting guidelines provided by the UNFCCC. Assessment included 8 NCs and 3 BURs submitted by the network members. Through the analysis it was identified that all the countries have at least submitted two NCs but there are countries which have not at least submitted their initial BUR yet. Therefore, more attention needs to be provided for supporting the preparation and submission of the BURs.

As per the analysis, it was identified that countries required more support on the analysis of the mitigation actions. Therefore, overall technical support can be provided on implementation of the mitigation actions and regarding the tools to assess, monitor and evaluate these mitigation actions. Capacity building on: collection of activity data, processing the data, developing country specific emission factors, assessing the uncertainty etc. can be provided to improve the preparation of the GHG inventory. Further, special attention is needed in providing the support to establish systematic institutional arrangement with clearly defined roles and responsibilities and adequate legal support to prepare NC, BUR and also to implement and monitor the mitigation and adaptation activities. Apart from providing the technical assistance to overcome the identified gaps in the NCs, support can be provided to apply the IPCC 2006 guideline (manually and/or using software) and higher Tiers as most of countries have used the 1996 IPCC guideline and Tier 1 approach. Further, overall guidance can be provided to meet all the reporting requirements of the UNFCCC.

Capacity building can be provided as regional workshops and/or webinars if identified gaps are common for the whole region. However, assessment has identified certain gaps are only common for some of the countries. Therefore, support could be provided from specific countries. Country specific gaps need to be addressed by bilateral interactions. These two types of support activities can be strengthened by sharing the experience of the rest of the network members with the identified countries. However, identified gaps and needs of the countries have to be further discussed and agreed with the respective countries to make the assistance process more effective.

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