CAN Submission: 5th Meeting of the Technology Executive Committee – Technology Assessment in the Technology Mechanism, March 2013

Now that the components of the UNFCCC Technology Mechanism – the Technology Executive Committee (TEC) and the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) – have been established and will become fully operational this year, there are areas of their respective mandates that could benefit from further elaboration. Among these is the ways in which the TEC and CTCNcould address Technology Assessment(TA), an area that will become increasingly crucial as the Technology Mechanism fulfills its mandate to facilitate and enable the actual development, transfer and deployment of environmentally sound technologies (ESTs) for countries, particularly developing and least developed countries and small island states, to address the impacts of climate change.

 

Para 61(a) of the Agreed Outcome on the Bali Action Plan adopted in Doha Recommends the

Advisory Board of the Climate Technology Centre and Network, in considering the programme of work of the Climate Technology Centre and Network, to take into account. Providing advice and support to developing country Parties, including capacity-building, in relation to conducting assessments of new and emerging technologies, in accordance with decision 1/CP.16, paragraphs 123(a)(i) and 128(e).

 

While the Doha Decision made reference only to the possible role of the CTCN in providing advice, support and building capacity in conducting assessments of new and emerging technologies, we would like to stress that there is an important role to be played by the Technology Executive Committee (TEC) in undertaking activities related to TA. As part of its mandate to consider and recommend actions to promote technology development and transfer with the goal of accelerating action on mitigation and adaptation,the TEC has already identified TA as a focus area. In its Rolling Workplan for 2012-2013, adopted at its second meeting, the TEC has identified possible guidance on technologies based on technology assessments as an outcome that is expected to result from its work in preparing an inventory of relevant technology briefs, technical reports and technical papers beginning in 2013. So far, there have been initial exchanges of ideas on TA within the TEC at its fourth meeting held in Bangkok in September 2012, with members seeking clarity on the nature and extent of the TEC’s involvement in TA and its value in the dissemination of ESTs.

 

As complementary components of the Technology Mechanism, the TEC should give policy limate Action Network International Submission to TEC, March 2013 guidance on TA while the CTCN provides support, operational guidance and capacity building to developing countries on the conduct of TA.