Kamina Johnson-Smith, the Foreign Minister of Jamaica, has handed over her country’s first biennial update report (BUR) to Patricia Espinosa, the Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It is the first such submission of a Small Island Developing State in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region to the UN.

Biennial update reports constitute an integral step towards the implementation of the framework for developing countries’ measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) to enhance the transparency of actions to curb greenhouse gas emissions, their effects and the support received.

The Executive Secretary commended Jamaica for its effort in preparing the BUR, recognizing the challenges encountered by the country in making such a submission.

She said that this has set a very good example for other small island developing states in actively participating in the measurement, reporting and verification activities under the UNFCCC.

Following the submission, a technical analysis by an international team of experts will be conducted, after which Jamaica will participate in a workshop on facilitative sharing of views under the UNFCCC Subidiary Body for Implementation, where the Jamaica can showcase to the world its actions to curb greenhouse gas emissions and the impact they are having, as well as the support needed for such actions and received.

See Jamaica’s biennial update report here

See the UNFCCC’s BUR submission page