By Bonnie James/Deputy News Editor

The United Nations Climate Change Conference, considered the largest annual environmental gathering in the world, opens  at the Qatar National Convention Centre today.

The biggest conference ever held in Qatar, the two-week event is expected to be attended by up to 17,000 participants from 194 nations.

It comprises the 18th Conference of the Parties (COP18) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the eighth Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP8).

HE Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah, director of the Qatar Administrative Control and Transparency Authority, is taking over today the presidency of COP18/CMP8, a year-long role.

The nations will be represented by heads of state,  ministers of the environment, energy and foreign affairs and senior officials.

Nearly 7,000 members of civil society groups are to participate. This includes about 1,000 accredited organisations.

Approximately 1,500 journalists from across the world have descended on Doha to cover the conference. This is the first COP to use the UN’s Paper Smart initiative, eliminating the need for the 5mn sheets of paper used at previous conferences, by issuing all documents digitally.

A smartphone mobile app gives information about each
and every aspect of the event.

The COP, held annually since 1994 when the UNFCCC entered into force, assesses the progress in dealing with climate change.

The COP, the highest decision-making authority of the Convention, is an association of all the countries that are Parties to the Convention.

At the COP, they review the implementation of the Convention and any other legal instruments that the COP adopts and take decisions to promote the effective implementation of the Convention.

Successive decisions taken by the COP make up a set of rules for practical and effective implementation of the convention.

In 2010, governments agreed that emissions needed to be reduced so that global temperature increases could be limited to below 2 degrees Celsius.

The COP is assisted by the Subsidiary Body on Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI).

The SBSTA links scientific, technical and technological assessments, the information provided by competent international bodies, and the policy-oriented needs of the COP.

The SBI was created to develop recommendations to assist the COP in reviewing and assessing implementation of the Convention and in preparing and implementing its decisions.

The COP, serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP), meets annually, coinciding with the COP. States that are Parties to the Protocol are represented in the CMP, as well as other states, NGOs and UN agencies, who are allowed to participate as observers.

The CMP reviews the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol and takes decisions to promote its effective implementation.

The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 1997 and legally binds developed countries to emission reduction targets. The protocol’s first commitment period started in 2008 and ends on December 31 this year. A second commitment period will follow as the first one ends. Pages 4, 13, 30