Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA)
The Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) is a key component of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), established under Article 9 of the convention. Its primary role is to provide the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP) with essential information and advice on scientific and technological matters related to climate change. The SBSTA acts as a bridge between scientific assessments and the policy needs of the COP, ensuring that discussions are informed by the latest research and developments.
Comprising government representatives with relevant expertise, the SBSTA meets biannually and also functions as a subsidiary body to the Kyoto Protocol since its enactment in 2005. The body addresses a broad array of issues, including the assessment of climate change impacts, the identification and promotion of technologies, and the support of capacity-building initiatives in developing nations. It plays a critical role in responding to queries from the COP and contributes significantly to the dialogue on mitigation and adaptation strategies. Through its work, the SBSTA facilitates international cooperation in climate research, making it an integral part of the global effort to combat climate change.
Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA)
Date: Established 1994
Mission
Established by Article 9 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) provides the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP) with information and advice on scientific and technological issues relating to the convention.
The SBSTA serves as the link between the scientific, technical, and technological assessments and the information provided by competent international bodies, and the policy-oriented needs of the COP. The SBSTA is open to participation to all parties to the UNFCCC and comprises government representatives competent in the relevant fields of expertise. With the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC in 2005 the SBSTA also began to serve as the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice to the Protocol. As in the COP, parties to the convention who are not parties to the protocol may participate as observers when the SBSTA serves as a subsidiary body to the Protocol. The SBSTA generally meets twice per year and reports to the COP and the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP) on all aspects of its work.
Significance for Climate Change
The SBSTA responds to scientific, technological and methodological questions asked by the COP/CMP and their subsidiary bodies, and assesses both the scientific knowledge relating to climate change and the effects of measures taken in the implementation of the Convention. It also works to identify technologies and promote technology development and transfer, to provide advice on scientific programs and international cooperation in research and development related to climate change, and to support capacity-building in developing countries.
The SBSTA considers a wide variety of issues. As of 2008, specific examples include consideration of the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); provision of information and advice on the scientific, technical and socioeconomic aspects of impacts, vulnerability, and adaptation to climate change; consideration of scientific, technical and socioeconomic aspects of mitigation of climate change; consideration of methodological issues, including reporting and accounting procedures, under the Convention and the Protocol; and consideration of methodological issues related to reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries.