Background

Under the Convention, all Parties should report on the steps they are taking to implement the Convention (Articles 4.1 and 12). Most of the 41 Annex I Parties submitted their first report (known as a "national communication") in 1994 or 1995, their second in 1997–1998 and the third after 30 November 2001. The fourth national communications were due on 1 January 2006; by 15 June 2008, UNFCCC secretariat had received 40 communications. Since 1996, Annex I Parties should also submit an annual inventory of their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to the secretariat. Separate reporting and review procedures have been established for Annex I GHG inventories.

COP 11, CMP 1,  SBI 23 (Montreal, December 2005): 

The SBI considered options for the review process, based on a note prepared by the secretariat on streamlining review processes under the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol (FCCC/SBI/2005/16). The SBI prepared draft decisions to the COP and CMP on this matter. The SBI also took note of a status report on the review of third national communications (FCCC/SBI/2005/INF.9).

The COP adopted decision 7/CP.11 entitled “Review processes during the period 2006–2007 for Parties included in Annex I to the Convention” , recognizing that streamlining of the review procedures is required during the period 2006–2007 in order to ensure the effective use of resources needed to meet additional review requirements for Annex I Parties that are also Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. It requested the secretariat to organize a centralized review of fourth national communications, and an in-country, in-depth review of the fourth national communication for those Parties that request one. It also requested the secretariat to prepare the compilation and synthesis report on fourth national communications for consideration by the Conference of the Parties at its thirteenth session (December 2007). The CMP, by its decision 26/CMP.1, requested the secretariat to prepare the compilation and synthesis of supplementary information included in fourth national communications, in accordance with Article 7, paragraph 2, of the Kyoto Protocol, submitted by Annex I Parties to the Convention that are also Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, for consideration at its third session (December 2007).

COP 12, CMP 2, SBI 25 (Nairobi, November 2006):

Under the agenda item 'National communications from Parties included in Annex I to the Convention', the SBI considered the sub-item 'Synthesis of reports demonstrating progress in accordance with Article 3, paragraph 2, of the Kyoto Protocol'. It had before it document FCCC/SBI/2006/INF.7, which provides information on the status of submission and review of the NC4 and RDPs. As informal consultations on this issue could not reach agreed conclusions, the SBI agreed to forward the item to the twenty-sixth session of the SBI (May 2007). The views of the Group of 77 and China submitted during the session are contained in document FCCC/SBI/2006/MISC.17.

COP 13, CMP 3, SBI 27 (Bali, December 2007):

Under the agenda item 'National communications and greenhouse gas inventory data from Parties included in Annex I to the Convention', the SBI considered the sub-item 'Compilation and synthesis of fourth national communications'. It had before it documents FCCC/SBI/2007/INF.6 and Add.1 and 2, which contains the compilation and synthesis report of the NC4 and RDPs. Following a recommendation of the SBI, the COP emphasized that the national communications and annual greenhouse gas inventories submitted by Annex I Parties are the main source of information for reviewing the implementation of the Convention by these Parties, and that the reports from the in-depth reviews of these national communications provide important additional information for this purpose,and welcomed the work of the secretariat in preparing the compilation and synthesis report on fourth national communications. It requested Annex I Parties to submit to the secretariat a fifth national communication by 1 January 2010, with a view to submitting the sixth national communication four years after this date, and concluded that the review of the national communications and consideration of the outcomes of this review have proved to be useful and should continue in accordance with decisions 2/CP.1, 6/CP.3 and 11/CP.4. It further decided that national communications can be submitted to the secretariat in electronic format only. The CMP further requested Annex I Parties that are also Parties to the Kyoto Protocol to include, in their fifth national communications, the necessary supplementary information required under the guidelines for reporting supplementary information under Article 7, paragraph 2, of the Kyoto Protocol contained in the annex to decision 15/CMP.1, in accordance with Article 7, paragraph 2, of the Kyoto Protocol.

• Greenhouse gas inventory data
• National communications
• Reports on in-depth reviews of national communications
• Workshop on the preparation of the fourth national communications