Background

Parties to the Kyoto Protocol adopted an amendment to the Kyoto Protocol by decision 1/CMP.8 in accordance with Articles 20 and 21 of the Kyoto Protocol, at the eighth session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP) held in Doha, Qatar, on 8 December 2012.

On 21 December 2012, this 'Doha Amendment' was circulated by the Secretary-General of the United Nations acting in his capacity as Depositary to all Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. The Depositary notification can be found here.

Pursuant to Article 21, paragraph 7, and Article 20, paragraph 4, of the Kyoto Protocol the amendment is subject to acceptance by Parties to the Kyoto Protocol.

In accordance with Article 20, paragraph 4, of the Kyoto Protocol the amendment enters into force for those Parties having accepted it on the ninetieth day after the date of receipt by the Depositary of an instrument of acceptance by at least three fourths of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. This means that a total of 144 instruments of acceptance (excluding the European Union) are required for the entry into force of the amendment.

As of 15 June 2022, 148 Parties deposited their instrument of acceptance, therefore the threshold for entry into force of the Doha Amendment was achieved.  The amendment entered into force on 31 December 2020.

In accordance with Article 4, paragraph 2, of the Kyoto Protocol, the following Parties have notified the Secretariat on their agreement to fulfill their commitments under Article 3 of the Protocol for the second commitment period jointly:  Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The terms of the agreement are as set out in the notification available here.

Authoritative information on acceptance and entry into force  of the Doha Amendment, as well as information on corrections, is provided by its Depositary, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, on the respective internet page of the United Nations Treaty Collection.