Insight into the UN climate negotiations

Climate Change

Insight into the UN climate negotiations

What is a COP?

As I write, heads of state, diplomats, technical and support staff, as well as business and civil society representatives meet at COP26 in Glasgow. This will be the 26th round of the Conference of the Parties (or COP for short). Although the talks are referred to as COPs, there are in fact three governing bodies (COP, CMP and CMA) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement respectively, meeting in parallel. They are the supreme decision-making organs. COPs take place once a year, to review the implementation of the Convention and the other two legal instruments. In addition to those three organs, two permanent subsidiary bodies, responsible for conducting technical discussions and preparing the decisions that will be taken by the supreme bodies, will convene, as will many other constituted bodies, ad hoc working groups and financial entities. Each year, one party is elected to serve as COP/ CMP/CMA president – the UK being the host this year – with the presidency rotating between the UN regional groups.

With many different tracks of negotiations and meetings happening in parallel, a profusion of acronyms and technical jargon galore, attending the UN climate negotiations for the first time can be a daunting experience. There are 197 parties to the Convention, 192 to the Paris Agreement. When negotiating, parties will often associate themselves with negotiating blocs, so as to amplify their voice. This is especially helpful for smaller delegations, which struggle to follow all the topics being discussed in parallel. Those negotiating blocs are formed based on shared interests and/or circumstances. They include G77 + China – made up of 134 members, primarily developing countries, the African Group of Negotiators, the Umbrella Group, Least Developed Countries, Alliance of Small Island States, EU and others. Countries can and do align themselves with different groupings, depending on the position being adopted on a particular issue.

The life of a negotiator

If you are attending the COP as part of your country delegation, your journey will often start in the week prior to the formal start of negotiations. Assuming you make it safely to Glasgow – not a mean feat for delegates coming from all parts of the Globe in these Covid-19 times – you may need to attend the preparatory meetings of your negotiating bloc. These are opportunities for groups to discuss their position on specific topics and negotiating strategy. At that point you may be asked to follow a particular thematic issue.

The formal proceedings will start with the opening plenaries where each body (COP/CMP/CMA) will adopt their agenda and deal with some procedural matters. They will conclude with the closing plenaries when decisions or conclusions are agreed. Decisions are adopted by consensus. This is generally understood to mean that no party expressly objects to the draft decision in question being adopted. Only countries have the right to vote but others such as representatives of business, international organisations, interest groups and associations have observer status.

The negotiations proper take place in formal and informal settings. As a party delegate, you will attend the contact group meetings set up to discuss the topic you have been assigned to follow. Some agenda items may also be considered through informal consultations. When discussions get tricky or reach a deadlock, spin off groups or ‘informal informals’ may be formed to try and reach compromise.

Sessions will normally start at 10am but your day will likely have started much earlier. You might be staying in accommodation a long way from the conference venue and face a long commute every morning and evening. You will be expected to attend the daily coordination meetings for the group your country belongs to. Depending on the group, this may be as early as 8 – 9am, or as late as 7-8pm in the evening. Bilaterals with another delegation or a bloc, or other unscheduled meetings to clarify positions, find areas of convergence and break deadlocks will also feature on some days, particularly in the second week when parties come under pressure to find compromises so as to be able to adopt decisions or conclusions at the end of the session.

As you might have realised by now, COP sessions are not ‘just’ testing delegates’ negotiating skills: they are also a test of endurance and fitness. To keep yourself going, snacks, coffee and water will be as important as having your mobile phone and laptop to hand. Should you find yourself with time to spare at any point, fear not: there are a large number of side events taking place on the margins of the official meetings for you to choose from and exhibits, where observer organisations highlight diverse climate change issues, to visit.

Gender balance at COPs

The importance of female representation and leadership at the talks has long been acknowledged and the goal of gender balance was established at COP18 in 2012. Yet, despite this, progress on the issue has been slow. In the last three years (2019 to 2021), for example, only 33 per cent of all constituted body positions were occupied by women 1 . This unequal participation is also reflected in country delegations: at COP25 in Madrid (in 2019), 60 per cent of government delegates and 73 per cent heads and deputy heads of delegations were men. Evidence also shows that senior delegates are more likely to be men, and men again are more likely to be active participants in the negotiations.

The picture is more positive when it comes to integrating a gender perspective in the work of constituted bodies. There has been a significant upwards move towards integrating a gender lens, in the last few years. Although there is still much work to be done, this is a positive development as women’s equal participation in climate related processes and decision-making at all levels – international, national and local – is key to making climate solutions as effective as possible. ■

Pascale Bird

Legal Officer and Advice Co-ordinator Legal Response International

1. ‘Overrepresentation of men in UN climate process persists’, 12 October 2021, https://unfccc.int/news/overrepresentation-ofmen-in-un-climate-process-persists