Climate change negotiations

Bringing youth’s energy from the streets to the climate negotiating table

Guest blogger Yared Abera shares how he navigated the steep learning curve to becoming a climate negotiator and the valuable guidance he received along the way

COP27 and the important year ahead

Just over a week on from the end of COP26 in Glasgow and the dust is settling. But as Andrew Norton reflects, any gains made from the event will require ongoing work and citizens demanding more radical action

COP26 debrief: where do we go from here?

COP26 debrief: where do we go from here?

Can COP26 reach ambitious outcomes for LDCs?

Ambitious, inclusive and equitable outcomes at COP26 are vital. Will major emitters commit to significant carbon cuts? Will countries honour their climate finance pledges? And how will finance reach those most in need? Anna Schulz sets out four outcomes for COP26 to be labelled a success for the Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States.

Inclusive negotiations: are hybrid meetings the answer?

As the organisers of COP26 face the complex challenges of getting 10-20,000 delegates to Glasgow for in-person negotiations during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, what are the pros and cons of hybrid formats for making negotiations more inclusive

Can COP26 lay firm foundations for an ambitious new climate finance goal?

With negotiations for the post-2025 climate goal due to commence at COP26, we ask what lessons can be learned from the previous – unmet – target and explore the priority issues for least developed countries (LDCs), who will be seeking changes to both the volume and nature of the climate finance they receive

IIED at COP26

Our key research, commentary, analysis and events from the 2021 UN climate summit

New briefing supports greater ambition for countries’ NDCs

New or updated NDCs have been submitted by 110 out of 191 Parties to the Paris Agreement. For those remaining, IIED has unpacked the Paris Agreement guidance to show they can enhance climate ambition

Understanding the challenges faced by LDCs in COVID-19 recovery

This online event on Tuesday, 27 July examined the range of issues LDCs have to deal with in their efforts to build back better

Delivering an inclusive COP26 in the age of COVID-19 requires more than vaccines

The UK government announced last week that it would make vaccines available to people attending COP26 in Glasgow. But even vaccinated, negotiators from vulnerable nations face logistical and financial barriers to travel to Glasgow amid border closures and quarantine measures

It’s got to be virtual and in person – key steps for a successful COP26

In a moment of reflection, with the first round of virtual climate negotiations and the G7 Summit all concluded, Anna Schulz asks where are we now and what steps can be taken to ensure success at COP26?

“We need a stronger taskforce”: pushing for better access to climate finance for vulnerable countries

The UK and Fiji governments are initiating a new Taskforce on Access to Climate Finance, and vulnerable countries have high hopes it will finally deliver improved climate finance access. Guest bloggers Carlos Fuller and Dhendrup Tshering discuss how to avoid failure and ensure the taskforce is set up for success

A new COP26 decision for long-term strategies: what’s in it for LDCs?

After months of delay, the formal UN climate negotiations are resuming and countries face a packed agenda. Gabrielle Swaby sets out why the least developed countries (LDCs) should make long-term strategies central to the discussion

Practical guide helps negotiators put equity at the heart of the new global biodiversity framework

Conservation efforts, while critical to reducing biodiversity loss, often fail to treat people fairly. This undermines the sustainability of these efforts and can further marginalise already vulnerable people. A new guide offers negotiators practical steps for embedding equity in the new global biodiversity framework

Towards COP26: can the Adaptation Committee progress in time?

After a year of virtual meetings, the Adaptation Committee – the principal body set up under the UNFCCC to provide guidance on adaptation – is zeroing in on a series of key inputs for COP26. Consensus among members is vital and inclusive processes are critical. Can it deliver all key adaptation items in time?

UK aid cuts threaten climate leadership role of COP26 president

Cuts to the overseas aid budget risk not only undermining the UK’s reputation for progressive development action, but also the chances of the UK presidency delivering a successful outcome to COP26. Sustainable development must be climate resilient: a lower aid spend is in real terms a blow to climate finance and ambition

Challenges for climate diplomacy during a pandemic

International decisions taken this year will shape outcomes for climate, nature and people. COVID-19 challenges the processes for making these decisions, with virtual engagement presenting fundamental barriers to vulnerable countries’ abilities to participate

Loss and damage – research, policy and lived experience in least developed countries

On Tuesday, 8 September, IIED and ICCCAD hosted a webinar featuring least developed countries' national experts sharing their research and lived experience of loss and damage. The discussion aimed to ensure that loss and damage remains a priority issue in the lead up to COP26

Training developing country delegates to engage in climate negotiations

Through regional workshops, IIED and partners build capacity to engage in international climate decision-making processes, so delegates are better equipped to negotiate

Fostering regional collaboration and national implementation

Joint climate negotiation workshops allow country delegates to collaborate and exchange regional knowledge, so climate issues become an integral part of policymaking across government ministries

Targeting support to women

The ecbi training and support programme aims to increase female participation in training workshops, support more women to attend the UN climate negotiations and track participants’ involvement in the negotiations themselves

Experience sharing on long-term strategies (LTS) in least developed countries

IIED hosted a webinar to explore the experiences of least developed countries as they develop their long-term strategies to address climate change. The event showcased the opportunities coming out of the process and provided a space to discuss challenges and concerns among participants

LDCs and the Paris Agreement: moving from international commitments to national implementation

A series of webinars will bring together participants from least developed countries to discuss their strategies to implement the Paris Agreement and share their diverse experiences and lessons learned

Coronavirus and climate change are two crises that need humanity to unite

IIED director Andrew Norton looks at some of the emerging impacts of the coronavirus outbreak, and discusses the possible longer-term effects of the pandemic

COP25 policy and activism: we deserved better

In the first of a new series considering the important role social movements play in prompting climate action and protecting nature, Sejal Patel reflects on COP25, both as a researcher seeking to influence policy and as an individual passionate about climate justice

How can we avoid another ‘lost decade’ in the climate fight?

As 2020 begins, IIED director Andrew Norton considers what it will take to galvanise meaningful action on climate change against a ticking clock and political reticence

D&C Days 2019: Illumination amid ‘a sea of warnings’

The Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre reports from the 2019 Development & Climate Days event, where IIED director Andrew Norton highlighted that "every year the remaining carbon budget for a safe world declines"

COP25 must ensure help for the countries most affected by the climate crisis

Ahead of COP25, IIED is calling for urgent climate action along with focused support for the most vulnerable

Real climate ambition means switching to 'business unusual'

Leadership at the UN Climate Action Summit came from least developed countries and grassroots communities. Clare Shakya argues that supporting their efforts requires a shift away from business-as-usual

Taking stock: how the LDCs became masters in climate activism and optimism

As Achala Abeysinghe moves on to a new role at the Global Green Growth Institute, she reflects on her time at IIED and shares how – as legal, technical and strategic adviser to the Least Developed Countries – she has seen this dynamic group turn climate diplomacy on its head

Climate action: let’s be bold in Bonn

As the UN climate change conference kicks off in Bonn on Monday (17 June), Subhi Barakat calls for negotiators to be bolder and braver with an emphasis on action

Women in the UN climate negotiations: are we tipping the balance?

Ahead of International Women’s Day, Brianna Craft and Samantha McCraine take a closer look at how well women are represented in spaces where international decisions on climate change are made

The sharp learning curve of an LDC negotiator

Fatima Athoumani describes the fast-paced journey to representing her nation of Comoros at the UN climate talks

"Half a degree matters" – D&C Days focuses on IPCC special report on global temperature-rise scenarios

The 2018 Development and Climate Days opened with a stark warning: "We don’t have 12 years to save the world; in fact we probably have 12 minutes"

Governments must move to formal negotiations in Bangkok and start shaping the final rulebook

Achala Abeysinghe says this week’s UN climate talks need to make progress on agreeing the operational guidelines or ‘rulebook’ for the Paris Agreement – a vital step towards putting the climate deal into practice

Supporting least developed countries on climate technology transfer

In March, experts on technology development and transfer gathered in Copenhagen and Bonn to take forward the work of the UN climate negotiations. IIED supported representatives of the Least Developed Countries to present proposals that would work for them

Facilitating better representation of LDCs in the UNFCCC process

Our participation support helps least developed countries in their efforts to increase their representation and engage fully and meaningfully in the UN climate talks

Missing voices: let's hear women's experience of climate change

There was plenty of discussion at the global climate talks about how working directly with women in the global South is essential. But when it came to listening, those very voices were marginalised

LDCs approach Fiji COP with high expectations

When COP23 starts next week, the least developed countries will again be in the spotlight. In a special guest blog, LDC Group chair Gebru Jember Endalew outlines the group's detailed preparation and hopes for Bonn

Asian and Pacific officials to build their climate negotiation skills

Junior climate negotiators from Asia and the Pacific region will develop their climate negotiation skills at a training workshop in Sri Lanka this month

Book summary: Climate Justice in a Non-Ideal World

IIED's Achala Abeysinghe and Saleemul Huq co-author a chapter in the book Climate Justice in a Non-Ideal World, exploring the different viewpoints from leading experts on what would be a just outcome to the climate change problem. Book summary includes: a Q&A with one of the authors

Building climate negotiation skills for African officials

Officials from African countries will have the opportunity to increase their climate negotiation skills at two training workshops in Dakar this June.

LDC women in world climate talks: building a cohort of champions

The Least Developed Countries Group will be at the table when next week's UN climate conference plans how to step up its 'gender agenda'.

The new Trump index: how much does one individual threaten the planet?

An index from 2001 needs updating to reflect how policies championed by US President-elect Trump threaten global ecological sustainability

Local voice must take pride of place: D&C calls for 'inside-out COP'

Make COP for the practitioners who are actually implementing climate change action on the ground, says Saleemul Huq

Women in the poorest countries lack leadership opportunities in the UN

Achala Abeysinghe walked out of an event after challenging the lack of women among 17 male speakers. The legal expert highlights why women's leadership is needed in global climate change negotiations

Watch now: daily video updates from COP22

Get daily video updates from the UN climate summit in Marrakech from IIED senior fellow Saleemul Huq, with a special focus on the issues affecting the Least Developed Countries

Lessons in climate diplomacy from Ethiopia and Bhutan 

IIED has been examining how two of the world's poorest nations are playing a leading role in the climate diplomacy needed to define the rules for implementing the Paris Agreement

Climate change negotiation skills: training for LDC negotiators

In a recent workshop, participants from Least Developed Countries learned about the mechanics of climate negotiations, tackled complex terminology and discussed how to resolve conflict situations that can arise during multilateral talks

An opportunity for LDC leadership

As Christiana Figueres stands down as executive secretary to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, IIED director Andrew Norton argues the time is right for an LDC representative to take the reins

Briefing: After Paris – what's next for the LDCs?

IIED hosted a high-level briefing on the outcomes of the Paris Agreement on climate change

2016 – when global meets local in climate action

Building on the historic agreement forged in Paris, IIED's director Andrew Norton looks at the opportunities to ensure global agreements on the need for sustainable development reach the local level

A historic agreement in Paris

A historic agreement on climate change in Paris must drive ambition for climate action post-2015, says IIED director Andrew Norton

Least Developed Countries create pressure for climate shift

As climate talks in Paris move into the final hours, the Least Developed Countries are fighting for their right for support and protection, and more and more countries are recognising the need to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees

COP21 side event discusses how to unlock climate finance for developing countries

COP21 side event discusses how to unlock climate finance for developing countries

REDD+ in Paris – what could be in it for people and forests?

Curbing climate emissions means managing and using existing forests, and land sustainably. An IIED workshop in Paris will look at how the programme to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) can be made more effective, while also supporting local communities

A champion for the most vulnerable

Ahead of next week's UN climate talks in Paris (COP21), IIED principal researcher Dr Achala Abeysinghe has been named as one of the top 15 female climate champions in the world

French lead drive for global climate agreement

There is much debate as to whether the Paris climate summit can deliver an adequate response to the challenge of climate change. In the wake of the tragedy of last Friday's attacks in the French capital, Andrew Norton pays tribute to France's efforts to secure an ambitious agreement and hopes for success

Road to Paris video series: the Least Developed Countries' perspective (episode 4)

Hear from a series of experts as they provide an insight into the perspectives of the Least Developed Countries on key aspects of the UNFCCC process ahead of the UN climate talks in Paris in December 2015

Climate negotiations: the last stop before Paris

As climate talks ahead of COP21 start in Bonn, Achala Abeysinghe says the draft on the table is not strong enough to address climate change, and identifies 11 ways in which it can be strengthened

The tough journey on the road to Paris: addressing the needs of the most vulnerable

With the latest round of climate negotiations under way in Bonn, Achala Abeysinghe reports on concerns that the burden for an ambitious and equitable agreement falls disproportionately on the backs of the poorest and most the vulnerable

Next steps for climate negotiations on the road to Paris

Some progress was made at the Bonn climate negotiations in June, but much remains to be done

Paris Agreement must stand on three pillars

As UN climate negotiations resume in Bonn (1-11 June), momentum is building for a new climate agreement in Paris this December

How do we measure adaptation?

How do we effectively measure and enhance adaptation? Saleemul Huq looks at possible answers which will be discussed at the 9th International Conference on Community Based Adaptation (CBA9)

On the road to Paris: departing Geneva with expectations high

Progress in Geneva has meant a good start to the climate negotiations on the road to Paris, with elements in the text offering the possibility of a fair deal for developing countries

Least developed country leaders say "follow us" to tackle climate change

The unsung heroes of the UN climate summit were the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), says Achala Abeysinghe

Letter to America: Gambia envoy asks Obama directly for US climate leadership

Pa Ousman Jarju, Minister of Environment of Gambia and former chair and special envoy on climate change for the 48 Least Developed Countries, has written an open letter to US President Barack Obama

If you care about the 21st century, vote for Europe!

People across the European Union are going to the polls on 22 May. But why does Europe matter?

Climate diplomacy can build the trust needed to secure our common future

Pa Ousman Jarju explains how diplomacy can overcome the distrust between rich and poor countries at the UN climate change negotiations.

Helping parliamentarians drive national climate change policy

Members of parliament can help break the international stalemate on climate change action by ‘domesticating’ global decisions, using national legislation. But to do that they often need long-term capacity-building programmes to catalyse the process: programmes that have support within the government and across parliaments

Workshops that build climate negotiators' capacity: European Capacity Building Initiative training and support programme

As part of efforts to create a more level playing field for government delegations taking part in global climate negotiations, IIED led a training and support programme that focused on building the capacity of UNFCCC negotiators from vulnerable developing countries, including the LDCs

COP18 Q&A: outcomes of the Doha climate talks

What are the major outcomes from the climate talks and what does it all mean for developing countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change? We spoke with Saleemul Huq, senior fellow with IIED's Climate Change research group, for his analysis.

COP18 Q&A: Latest from the Doha climate change conference

What is happening at the climate negotiations in Doha and what might the developments mean for countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change? We spoke with Saleemul Huq, senior fellow with IIED's Climate Change research group, for his analysis on recent developments.

An American predicament that threatens the Green Climate Fund

In the context of the multilateral climate change negotiations, this global realization has slowly, but inexorably led to the conclusion that for the foreseeable future, it would be vain to expect

With nations lagging, cities take lead in adapting to climate change

Moving climate talks forward: new parliamentary group consider the options

Last week (Tuesday 23 November), the Development and Environment Group of Bond launched a new All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for international development and the environment.

Tianjin climate begotiation through the CLACC lens

In their last meeting before the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico at the end of November, the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP) discussed emissions reduction commitments for the 37 developed countries that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012.

2009 Development and Climate Days film festival highlights

The film festival that was held as part of the 2009 Development and Climate (D&C) Days was a popular feature of the four-day event.The short films represented the work of amateur and independent film-makers. Many of the films demonstrated the impacts of climate change on vulnerable regions and population groups, as well as adaptation and action measures. Numerous film makers were present at D&C Days and participated in discussions about their work. 

Least Developed Countries

Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are the poorest countries in the world. A number of criteria determine this status. As of May 2009, LDCs number 50. Roughly 65 per cent are in Africa; a number of others are known as Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Many SIDS are low-lying and located in parts of the world already prone to extreme weather events, factors that make them highly vulnerable to climate change impacts such as sea level rise and fiercer and more frequent tropical storms.