According to a news report in Dubai City Guide dated March 14, 2016, titled Dubai’s Carbon Copy, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence (DCCE) have signed an agreement to develop National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Systems (NIS) for Oman and Kuwait, helping them to monitor progress towards the international climate targets agreed in Paris, in December 2015.

Signed by Ivano Iannelli, CEO of Dubai Carbon and H.E. Dr Iyad Abumoghli, Director and UNEP Regional Representative in West Asia, the agreement, says the news report, also allows for future collaboration in other Gulf countries.

According to the report, data received from the new systems will inform the decisions of greenhouse-gas-emitting entities, their regulatory bodies and respective environment agencies. UNEP and DCCE, on their part, will also implement an online reporting system and database to capture baseline data as of 2015, and maintain records on annual basis.

The project will reportedly devise procedures and protocols for reporting in line with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) standards, with definitions for reporting data tailored to national conditions. The news report highlights that the project will also propose quality assurance and control procedures, capturing them in a user-friendly manual, with a strong emphasis being placed on training personnel in the use of the new reporting system and on communicating its benefits to decision-makers.

The news report, quoting Dr Abumoghli, says that the Memorandum of Understanding represents a “special and significant commitment to engage and establish the best possible solutions to develop climate change strategies for the nations involved”.

Iannelli, is cited as saying: “This agreement represents a step forward in the right direction towards the larger mission as outlaid by the government of Oman and Kuwait. We firmly believe that the partnership with UNEP will develop a comprehensive NIS to monitor the critical data on climate change and implement effective strategies to monitor the results it will deliver.”

Source: http://www.dubaicityguide.com/site/news/news-details.asp?newsid=58478