Building the capacity of LDCs to engage in the UNFCCC negotiations

Every round of talks adds to the complexity of the international climate change decision-making process. Agendas balloon, new bodies are formed, and issues become more technically detailed and interconnected. For small delegations and new negotiators, this process is increasingly difficult to follow. 

What did IIED do?

In addition to building the capacity of junior negotiators and providing participation support, IIED contributed to enhancing the knowledge, skills and confidence of LDC delegates to further increase their engagement in a fast-moving UNFCCC process. We did this by:

• Taking part in negotiating skills development workshops, led by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
• Helping organise and participating in LDC Group strategy meetings. These meetings were supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
• Informing ongoing negotiations through research, in direct partnership with LDCs. All our papers were co-authored with or included substantial inputs from LDC negotiators, and
• Developing toolkits to help new (and seasoned) negotiators find their footing in the complex UNFCCC process.