This is framework convention for climate change, adopted in 1992. Its ultimate objective it to stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. Such a level should be achieved within a time-frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner. The framework convention divides parties into Annex I, Annex II and non-Annex I Parties. Its guiding principles include that of 'common but differentiated responsibilities'. It also gives differentiated commitments to parties, which are however not binding.

The National Communication is the country’s preliminary attempt to present an overview, with respect of the base year 1994, of:

• Its national social and economic context on the basis of which it will address climate change and its adverse effects and within which various interventions could be made;
• A national inventory of anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases using the IPCC 1996 Revised Guidelines;
• An assessment of the country’s potential vulnerability to climate change and approaches for adapting to such change; and
• A general description of steps taken or envisaged by the country to implement the Convention.

This manual was prepared to assist Non Annex I parties in the preparation of their national communications to the UNFCCC. It provides for efficient use of the guidelines provided in the annex to decision 17/CP.8, giving paragraph-by-paragraph description of the types/kinds of information thatcan be reported in the national communications. The guideline pays particular attention to national circumstances, national greenhouse gas invetories, measures to facilitate adequate adaptation to climate, measures to mitigate climate change, and constraints, gaps and related financial and technical needs. It aims to ensure that information is reported in a ttransparent, comparable and flexible manner.

The Consultative Group of Experts on national communications form Parties not included in Annex I in the UNFCCC (CGE) conducted a Global Hands-on Traning Workshop on to help Non Annex I parties in the preparation of the mitigation section of their national communications. The workshop was held in the Republic of Korea in September 2005 and considered a wide range of mitigation assessment approaches, methods and tools and information on the their relative strengths and weaknesses in different analytical contexts. The handbook is intended to serve as a succinct guide or road map to the various issues addressed in the workshop. Information is divided into six modules, as follows:

1. Introduction to Mitigation under the UNFCCC.
2. Mitigation Assessment: Concepts, Structure and Steps.
3. Mitigation Options: A Sectoral Review.
4. Barriers to Mitigation.
5. Mitigation Methods and Tools.
6. Reporting of Mitigation Assessments in National Communications.

There is also an introduction to hands-on computer exercises are designed to introduce some of the basic techniques used in a GHG Mitigation Assessment.

Compiling a national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory requires a fairly lengthy and interconnected series of tasks, including collecting emission factors and activity data, selecting appropriate methods, estimating GHG emissions and removals, implementing uncertainty assessment and quality assurance/quality control procedures, reporting the results, and documenting and archiving all relevant data and procedures. This requires fundamental decisions about data and methods, the establishment of a network of contacts for accessing data and reviewing results and the design of a system for data management, quality assurance, quality control, documentation and archiving. The inventory process should be planned, operated and managed to ensure optimal
quality and efficiency, given available resources. This is especially important as countries produce their second and subsequent national inventories. This handbook provides non-Annex I Parties with a strategic and logical approach to a sustainable inventory process. This should not only help countries produce more accurate inventories, it may also help enhance efficiency and ensure optimum use of scarce financial and human resources. It is recommended that a significant part of a country’s inventory improvement efforts focus on documentation and archiving, because this is critical to the long-term sustainability and institutionalisation of the inventory process.