Information and communication technologies (ICTs) and ... - ITU

Box 11. Examples of UNFCCC parties’ commitments
• Development, updating and publishing of inventory of anthropogenic emissions by sources and
removal by sinks.
• Formulation, implementation and regular updating of national programmes containing measures
to mitigate or adapt to climate change.
• Promotion and cooperation in the development, application, diffusion and transfer of
technologies.
• Promotion of sustainable management and enhancement of sinks and reservoirs for Greenhouse
Gases.
• Mainstreaming or integrating climate change into national development.
• Promotion and cooperation in scientific technological technical, socio-economic and other
research, systemic observation and development of data achieves.
• Promotion and cooperation and prompt exchange of relevant scientific, technological,
technological, socio-economic and legal information.
• Promotion and cooperation in education, training and public awareness in issues relating to
climate change.
• Preparation of National Communications.
• Financing, mitigation and adaptation options and other enabling activities.
• Participation in the development and periodic refinement of comparable methodologies for
preparing greenhouse gas inventories and for evaluating the effective methods to limit the
emissions and enhance the removal of the greenhouse gases.
• Assessment of the implementation of the Convention.
Source: UNFCCC, 1992
Pursuant to Article 4.1 (h) and Article 12 of the Convention, Ghana is to communicate to the Conference of
the Parties information related to implementation of the Convention, by providing the following elements
of information; namely (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; (b) a
general description of steps taken or envisaged by the Party to implement the Convention; and (c) any other
information that the Party considers relevant to the achievement of the objective of the Convention and
suitable for inclusion in its communication, including, if feasible, material relevant for calculations of global
emission trends.
In response to this demand, an Initial National Communication (INC) to the UNFCCC was issued in 2000,
followed by a Second National Communication (SNC) in 2011. These communications covered a wide range
of subjects including:
• GHG emissions.
• Vulnerability and adaptation assessments for water resources, coastal zones and agriculture.
• Climate change mitigation options in the energy and forestry sectors.
These National Communications identified the clear need for Ghana to adapt to the challenges posed by
climate change. Thus, there has been a raft of policy initiatives aimed at supporting this objective.
The first initiatives relating to adaptation and climate change vulnerability were started by Ghana under the
Netherlands Climate Change Study Assistance Programme, with the support of Ghana’s Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA). The focus of the first phase was on sectoral vulnerability and adaptation
20