[Title] Statement of Methane Abatement Partnership Roadmap

The European Commission, with support from Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as Carbon Limits, Clean Air Taskforce, Environmental Action Germany, Environmental Defense Fund, Environmental Investigation Agency, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Global Methane Hub, ICA Finance, International Energy Agency, Methane Matters Coalition, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, present at the 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP29), gathered under the presidency of the Government of Azerbaijan, launches the Methane Abatement Partnership Roadmap.

Recognizing the need to ensure that the global community meets the collective goal of the Paris Agreement to keep warming well below 2℃ while pursuing efforts to limit warming to 1.5℃;

Recalling the decision on the first Global Stocktake under the Paris Agreement, including for the first time a reference to transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, as well as to tripling renewable energy capacity globally and doubling the average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030;

Recalling the Global Methane Pledge target of cutting anthropogenic methane emissions at least 30% by 2030 from 2020 levels and the strong international engagement on its implementation;

Noting that the 2024 Global Methane Tracker estimates that in the last years methane emissions have not decreased but, on the contrary，increased;

Recalling the launch at COP28 of the Oil and Gas Decarbonisation Charter with 53 signatory companies, with morethan half being National Oil Companies, committing to net-zero operations by 2050 at the latest, and ending routine flaring by 2030, and near-zero upstream methane emissions by 2030;

Welcoming the launch of the Methane Finance Sprint at COP28 with more than USD 1 billion commitments and the World Bank Global Flaring and Methane Reduction Partnership with USD 255 million, mobilising new financing to effectively reduce methane emissions;

Recalling the G7 commitment to pursue a collective effort towards a 75 per cent reduction in global methane emissions from fossil fuels, including by reducing the methane emissions intensity of oil and gas operations by 2030;

Recalling the importance of importer-exporter cooperation, as outlined in the joint statement on 'Accelerating methane mitigation from the LNG value chain' by the European Commission, Japan, the United States, the Republic of Korea and Australia at the 2023 LNG Producer-Consumer Conference, as well as in the 'Joint Declaration from Energy Importers and Exporters on Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Fossil Fuels' by the United States, the European Union, Japan, Canada, Norway, Singapore, and the United Kingdom at COP27;

Noting the need to support oil and gas developing producing countries in pursuing structural transformation and systemic change, including as outlined in the OECD's Equitable Framework and Finance for Extractive-based Countries in Transition (EFFECT);

Noting that the development and implementation of policies and regulations, such as the EU Methane Regulation, the U.S. oil and gas methane mitigation regulations under the Clean Air Act, as well as international initiatives such as the Coalition for LNG Emission Abatement toward Net-zero (CLEAN) and the UNEP-convened Climate and Clean Air Coalition's (CCAC) Fossil Fuel Regulatory Programme, are urgently needed to reduce methane emissions in the energy sector;

Noting UNEP'S International Methane Emissions Observatory 2023 Annual Report's reflections on harnessing the methane data revolution as well as recommendations to advance further to deliver transparency needed for rapid climate action and accelerate methane reduction on a global scale;

Recognizing that supporting the immediate reduction of emissions from existing fossil fuel operations can in the short term both contribute to security of supply of fossil fuels and provide financial incentives to importing and expothing / producing countries, while contributing to the decarbonisation of the energy system and the transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems by 2050;

We urgently call for collaboration among countries, both fossil fuel importers and exporters, to accelerate the reduction of methane emissions associated with fossil energy production and consumption, by collaborating and aiming to implement a Methane Abatement Partnership roadmap. The objective of this roadmap is to minimize emissions of methane throughout the oil and natural gas supply chain. This roadmap would strive to achieve the following:

1. Establish cooperation frameworks between fossil fuelimporting and exporting countries to strengthen support for the initiative of reducing emissions from existing assets in the relevant supply chains.

2. Support the adoption of systems to enhance transparency of measurement-based data on the methane emissions associated with the full supply chain of internationally traded fossil fuels, recognising the importance of data quality in the journey towards lower emissions.

3. Encourage strengthening or development of relevant policies and measures, including a robust Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system. These approaches could include robust data collection through regulation, building on the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0(OGMP 2.0) principles as well as using satellite, aerial, and drone data to ensure reliable baseline information on existing emissions. Other frameworks, such as that under development by the international GHG Supply Chain Emissions MMRV Working Group, may also be used. These policies and measures could be complemented by setting up dialogues with other jurisdictions, sharing knowledge and best practices.

4. Encourage and work with relevant operators to build a sound project plan to abate methane emissions from existing fossil fuel assets. This would strive to provide a clear timeline, investment plan and human resources needed, as well as the amount of emissions to be abated, to the extent possible. In order to ensure the effectiveness and rapidity of this step, the producing country could utilise existing tools and frameworks, partnering with relevant organizations such as the International Energy Agency, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, UNEP's International Methane Emissions Observatory and the UNEP-convened Climate and Clean Air Coalition, as well as with other relevant organisations and operators. At the same time, companies and private investors would work towards creating suitable financial conditions able to mobilise the investments needed.

5. Secure the investments needed for emissions reduction projects in producing countries, together with relevant operators, utilising measurement and reporting to target abatement measures. The World Bank couId be one of the key financial partners for developing countries through the new Global Flaring and Methane Reduction trust fund, and private investors may provide capital through sustainability instruments.

6. Follow up on the implementation of the cooperation framework, transparently ensuring that the emission reductions were delivered and sustained, thus contributing to global decarbonisation and increased security of supply. Relevant organisations, such as UNEP'S International Methane Emissions Observatory, could provide overall global reporting and progress reports to ensure robust emissions reductions.

We call on other countries and stakeholders to support the Methane Abatement Partnership Roadmap and to showcase examples of implementation at COP30.