Reference: Control and limitation of documents issued by the Board

1. When considering issuing a new document or revising an existing document, the Board keeps in mind the priority to consolidate, streamline and ensure consistency of all of its documentation.

 2. Documents issued by the Board, with the exception of methodologies and methodological tools,^[1] can be amended as described below:

(a)    Substantive revision: When substantive changes are made to a document, the document is replaced with a new document version and issued with a new primary version number;

Example: Version 2.0 of a document is replaced by Version 3.0, where the number “3” indicates a substantive change to the information contained in the document.

(b)    Corrective or editorial revisions:^[2] Corrections or editorial changes do not constitute a substantive revision of the document. When corrections or editorial changes are made to a document, the document is re-issued under the same primary version number;

Example: Version 2.0 of a document is re-issued as Version 2.1, where the number “1” indicates a revision due to corrections or editorial changes.

(c)    Withdrawal: Documents are withdrawn from active circulation when the information they contain is no longer applicable, relevant, or correct.

 3. To increase transparency and ensure that users are aware of the latest versions of the Board’s regulatory documentation:

(a)    The version containing substantive changes, with the exception of forms, will be recorded in and annexed to the meeting report of the Board, and published on the UNFCCC CDM website. The latest version of the document becomes effective, unless otherwise stated in the meeting report or in the document itself, on the date of publication of the meeting report in which the document was revised;

(b)    The version containing changes of a corrective or editorial nature will be published on the UNFCCC CDM website and will become applicable on the date of publication. Documents having undergone corrective or editorial revisions will be noted in the next meeting report of the Board. Unless otherwise stated in the revised document, a grace period will apply between the date of publication of the version containing the corrective or editorial changes on the UNFCCC CDM website and the official notification of the corrective or editorial revision in the next meeting report of the Board;

(c)    Substantive, corrective or editorial revisions to forms may be made and published by the secretariat on the UNFCCC CDM website at any time. The latest version of a form will become applicable on the date of publication. The revision of the form will be noted in the next meeting report of the Board. A grace period will apply between the date of publication of the revised form on the UNFCCC CDM website and the official notification of the revision in the next meeting report of the Board.

4. Stakeholders are encouraged to regularly review the Rules and Reference section of the UNFCCC CDM website to ensure that they have the latest versions of documents, especially for forms that are required as part of a submission process in the CDM project cycle.

 5. Each published Board document includes on its last page a “Document information” or “History of Document” box which contains contextual information, including the nature and date of changes made to the document. Readers should routinely consult this information when making use of a document.

See related resource: CDM Executive Board Decision and Documentation Framework