Support for developing countries

Australia is delivering capacity building programs to enhance developing countries’ contribution to global climate action. Australia also contributes to regional and international fora dedicated to capacity building for measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of greenhouse gas emissions.

Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) capacity building

A requirement for parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is to regularly submit greenhouse gas inventories. These national inventories must be transparent, accurate, complete, consistent and comparable (TACCC).

Australia has prepared and submitted national inventories for many years. We are now using this experience and expertise to assist developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region to enhance their MRV capacity.

Establishing robust systems for MRV is fundamental to effective domestic climate action. These systems also underpin implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC)s under the Paris Agreement.

Indonesian MRV program

Since 2009, Australia has supported the Government of Indonesia to develop a robust and flexible national forest monitoring system and policies. This program built MRV capacity in reporting greenhouse gas emissions from the land sector. This was facilitated primarily though the Indonesia-Australia Forest Carbon Partnership.

Up to 2021 the department will provide targeted support to further improve Indonesia’s MRV and assist them to meet their UNFCCC commitments.

Thai MRV collaboration

Since 2011, Australia has supported the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand to strengthen its ability to meet UNFCCC reporting obligations and to deliver its NDC. This collaboration has supported the development of Thailand’s national greenhouse gas emissions inventory system, known as ‘TGEIS’. TGEIS is modelled on the Australian Greenhouse Emissions Information System (AGEIS). See the Thai Government’s video about TGEIS on YouTube.

TGEIS will be a critical asset to climate action in Thailand. It will support robust and clear national inventory system governance and institutional arrangements.  It is designed to produce timely, high quality and transparent greenhouse gas emissions data. TGEIS also advances Thailand’s economic modernisation agenda, Thailand 4.0.

Chinese MRV collaboration

Since 2014, Australia has partnered with the Government of China to enhance MRV capabilities and share knowledge through technical workshops and governance exchanges.

Australia’s collaboration with China aims to directly support its goal to strengthen and improve its greenhouse gas emissions accounting systems and to prepare regular inventories.

Global Forest Observations Initiative

The Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI) is an international partnership helping developing countries build robust MRV systems. It assists countries to accurately calculate changes to their forests and the contribution of greenhouse gas emissions from forest destruction and degradation.

The GFOI supports the integration of satellite data and ground-based measurements to assist countries to generate a full account of forest resources and emissions from land use changes.

Australia leads the development of the GFOI Methods and Guidance Documentation. This resource provides practical advice to help developing country partners establish forest monitoring systems that comply with international requirements.

GFOI lead partners are:

• Australia
• Norway
• The United States of America
• The United Kingdom
• Germany
• The World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF)
• The European Space Agency (ESA)
• The Committee on Earth Observation Satellites
• The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations

Blue carbon

Blue carbon refers to the carbon that is captured by the world’s coastal ecosystems (mangroves, tidal marshes, and seagrasses).

Blue Carbon Programs

The Australian Government in collaboration with CSIRO is supporting countries in the region to build capacity to protect and manage coastal blue carbon ecosystems. The department is implementing a $2 million blue carbon program with Indonesia and a $4 million blue carbon program with the Pacific, focusing on PNG and Fiji. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is also administering a $2 million innovative finance component for the Pacific program.

Activities focus on working with Pacific countries and Indonesia to:

• advance protection and restoration of coastal blue carbon ecosystems for climate action
• address barriers to blue carbon management
• strengthen blue carbon expertise and data
• support integration of blue carbon into national greenhouse gas accounting and climate policy
• encourage public and private sector investment

Read more

• Read about Australia’s international climate change commitments
• Read our scoping report on a potential Emissions Reduction Fund method of blue carbon

See also

• The Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment is responsible for the Australian Government’s participation in the International Partnership for Blue Carbon and the Asia-Pacific Rainforest Partnership