12 Principles of Joint Implementation

This position paper by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) outlines twelve principles to guide the implementation of Joint Implementation (JI) under the Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC). The document argues against moving from the JI pilot phase to full crediting without an independent evaluation and a comprehensive legal framework, highlighting significant technical, environmental, and socio-economic risks associated with the project-by-project approach.

• CIEL and other NGOs argue that an independent evaluation of the Joint Implementation (JI) pilot phase must occur before parties agree to full JI with crediting, as current project information is "inconsistent and incomplete" and lacks "on-the-ground review".
• The document identifies several technical challenges in JI methodology that make quantifying climate benefits difficult, including the determination of baselines, the risk of "leakage" (where pollution activities simply move elsewhere), and the difficulty of ensuring "financial and environmental additionality".
• Developing countries express concerns that JI could be a form of "neo-colonialism" or a "trojan horse" used by industrialized nations to exploit cheap labor and resources, while potentially pressuring these countries to accept emissions targets that could "stunt their economic progress".
• Environmental groups argue that JI may discourage industrialized countries from pursuing domestic energy reforms and technology development by allowing them to meet targets through "inexpensive forestry projects abroad", which could increase the long-term cost of curbing climate change.
• The paper criticizes Article 6 of the Chairman’s Consolidated Negotiating Text for the Kyoto Protocol, stating it fails to resolve technical problems regarding additionality and baselines, and may "lock in the project-by-project approach", preventing countries from adopting more comprehensive national or sectoral strategies.
• CIEL proposes twelve guiding principles for JI, emphasizing that Annex I commitments should be met "substantially through domestic policies and measures", that JI must provide "significant environmental and socio-economic co-benefits", and that it must promote "capacity building in the host country".

APA

Goldberg, & Stilwell (1997). 12 Principles of Joint Implementation. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/reports/12-principles-of-joint-implementation-ciel-position-paper-october-1997-goldberg-stilwell-cc97-1-2/

Chicago

Goldberg, and Stilwell. 12 Principles of Joint Implementation. Center for International Environmental Law, 1997. https://www.ciel.org/reports/12-principles-of-joint-implementation-ciel-position-paper-october-1997-goldberg-stilwell-cc97-1-2/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Goldberg |last2=Stilwell |title=12 Principles of Joint Implementation |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=1 October 1997 |url=https://www.ciel.org/reports/12-principles-of-joint-implementation-ciel-position-paper-october-1997-goldberg-stilwell-cc97-1-2/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{goldberg1997principles, author = {Goldberg and Stilwell}, title = {{12 Principles of Joint Implementation}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {1997}, month = oct, url = {https://www.ciel.org/reports/12-principles-of-joint-implementation-ciel-position-paper-october-1997-goldberg-stilwell-cc97-1-2/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }