Climate change negotiations

Five years of building climate negotiators’ capacity: lessons from the field

A review of the past five years of work to build and sustain capacity among developing country climate negotiators, and foster trust between both developed and developing country negotiators

Tailored publications

A series of guidebooks produced by ecbi and bespoke dissemination practices support the training of UN climate negotiators from developing countries

Building our regional partners’ capacity

ecbi collaborates with organisations in developing countries to train participants from the region. Our longest partnership is with Enda Energie, which has organised workshops in East and West Africa

Mentoring women to become climate leaders through a joint initiative

To help address the gender gap at the UN climate negotiations, ecbi developed a mentorship programme that supports women negotiators to engage in high-level decision-making

What does the Paris Agreement’s transparency framework mean for LDCs?

The Paris Agreement offers a global framework to work together to avoid the worst impacts of climate ch

Supporting LDCs to develop long-term strategies

IIED is providing research and dedicated support to help least developed countries design long-term strategies for low-carbon, climate-resilient development, in line with international commitments

Supporting more than equal numbers in international climate debates

For International Women’s Day, Brianna Craft and Samantha McCraine detail efforts to bring more women to the UN climate change negotiations

COP25: the morning after

Ahead of this week's IIED-hosted event discussing what COP25 outcomes mean for the climate crisis, Subhi Barakat highlights stepping stones for more ambitious climate action that emerged from these negotiations, where delays and denial frustrated progress

D&C Days 2019: five pathways to a climate-resilient future

Over the last decade, Development & Climate Days (D&C Days) has built a reputation for providing stimulating and interactive debate on topics and issues at the interface of development and climate change during the middle weekend of the UN climate change talks

Politics at play at the UN climate talks? The LDCs don’t have time for games

There’s one year left before countries are formally held to account to their pledges under the Paris Agreement. From the COP25 climate talks in Madrid, Gabrielle Swaby sets out what the least developed countries – the poorest nations with most at stake – need from these crucial negotiations

IIED and partner events at COP25

This page summarises the activities of IIED, its researchers and partners during the UN climate change talks (COP25) in Madrid, Spain, from 2 to 13 December 2019

Least Developed Countries launch 2050 Vision for a climate-resilient future

The world’s least developed countries have launched a long-term strategy for climate resilience and net zero emissions by 2050

Leading organisations call on UN to support UK/Italy 2020 climate summit bid

IIED and 12 other leading environment and development organisations are urging the UN’s Western European and Others Group – the body that decides where to hold the 2020 UN climate summit – to support the UK/Italy bid

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 greater 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 to host high-level briefing on the outcomes and challenges of the Paris Agreement

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

Watch: daily video updates from COP21

Get a daily summary of the latest news from the UN climate talks (COP21) from IIED's Saleemul Huq, with a special focus on the issues affecting the Least Developed Countries

LDC climate action plans estimated to cost US$93.7 billion per year

A report by IIED has estimated the cost of all 48 Least Developed Countries implementing their post-2020 climate action plans to be around US$93 billion per year

Q&A: Building zero carbon emission economy in a decade

In the seventh of our interviews with representatives from the Least Developed Country Group, Negash Teklu from Population, Health, Environment Ethiopia talks about Ethiopia's ambitions for a zero carbon economy by 2025

IIED at the UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP)

The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the supreme decision-making body of the the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). IIED participates and reports on this annual event

COP21 publications

A list of publications produced for COP21 and side events by IIED and its partners

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

Q&A: Helping the poorest nations with development goals

The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) want their voices heard at climate and development talks. They will need a range of support to build their capacity to meet their development goals

Urgent action needed says leader of the Least Developed Countries Group

Ahead of the latest UN climate negotiations in Bonn, the Least Developed Countries Group Chair points out that while science tells us that we can limit global temperatures to save the world's poorest countries, we need the will to do it

Risky business: assessing potential impacts of REDD+ in Nepal

Nepal has begun to assess the potential harm and benefits of the compensation scheme for protecting forests

The least developed countries, equity, and a brave new world

For the first time, all of the world’s major carbon emitters – including China, the US and India – will be legally bound to a new global climate agreement that reduces emissions. But, HOW?

Introduction to our work on global climate law, policy and governance: supporting LDCs in the UNFCCC process

IIED supports the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and other vulnerable developing countries to achieve equitable and ambitious outcomes through global decision-making. We also help individual countries prepare for the effective implementation of these decisions through national policy and legislative strengthening

Seven ways to reignite climate action after dismal Doha

The latest round of UN climate change negotiations – the COP18 conference in Doha – made only modest progress. Set against the elephantine size of the global climate problem, this achievement looks like a mouse.

People power critical for tackling climate change

As understanding of the severity of climate change rises, it’s increasingly clear that a negotiated global agreement on climate change is not enough – civil society has a central role to play too.

UN climate negotiations video update: "Good COP vs bad COP"

In the COP17 side events “we see a lot of hope, solutions and activities at the side events of a positive nature which completely bely the negative vibes coming out of the negotiations themselves,” says Saleemul Huq, IIED’s Senior Fellow in the Climate Change group.  

Making REDD+ deliver for everyone

With deforestation and forest degradation being the third largest global contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, forests have an enormous role to play in any attempts to combat climate change. An international scheme called REDD+ (Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and Forest degradation, conservation, sustainable forest mangement and enhancement of carbon stocks) offers a financial incentive to keep trees standing and reduce global greenhouse emissions. Our workshop on 27 November shared perspectives on how we can make REDD+ deliver for people who depend on the forests.

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. 

Climate worlds: Copenhagen cosmology

A vast blue box dropped onto a tabletop: this is the Koncerthuset, where IIED’s Development and Climate Days came to a close yesterday.

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.

The world-changing power of serendipity

Lobbying — the pre- and post-negotiation discussions where much of the real action at global conventions happens — is a key activity for NGOs at the talks.

In the belly of the articulated beast

So far, the Poznan COP is panning out nicely for memory stick collectors.

Knowing your team mates

You wouldn’t expect a football team that had never practiced together to play particularly well, would you?

Welcome to Poznan

if you can get here….. We have all looked forward to this year’s UNFCCC event and hopeful of productive outcomes especially our friends and colleagues from developing countries.