16 August 2012: A paper released by the Nordic Council of Ministers assesses the “state-of-play” of ongoing negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and identifies proposals for improved efficiency in the process. The paper explores the organization of work and strategic oversight of the UNFCCC, decision making processes and processes outside of the UNFCCC.

In its conclusions, the paper highlights that any procedural reform of the UNFCCC process is likely to be incremental but that the conclusion of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention (AWG-LCA) and the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP) at the upcoming UN Climate Conference, in Doha, Qatar, in December 2012, make advancing procedural reform possible.

The paper, titled “Strengthening Global Climate Change Negotiations: Improving the Efficiency of the UNFCCC Process,” originally served as a discussion paper for the workshop on “Strengthening the Global Climate Change Negotiations,” which took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, in April 2012. The paper was then updated to reflect the outcomes of the workshop in accordance with Chatham House rules. [Nordic Council of Ministers Press Release] [Publication: Strengthening Global Climate Change Negotiations: Improving the Efficiency of the UNFCCC Process]