27 March 2018: The Fijian Presidency of the 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 23) to the UNFCCC and the incoming COP 24 Polish Presidency have provided detailed questions to guide the discussions under the Talanoa Dialogue’s preparatory phase to be advanced during the UN Climate Change Conference taking place in Bonn, Germany, from 30 April to 10 May 2018.

These guiding questions fall under each of the three overarching questions of the Talanoa Dialogue process: Where are we? Where do we want to go? and How do we get there?

The May intersessional Talanoa Dialogue, which will be the first opportunity for Party and non-Party stakeholders to interact in a “constructive and non-judgmental” manner, will include plenary sessions and three working group sessions addressing the three overarching questions. Responses to questions will provide the foundation for ministerial discussions at COP 24 in Katowice, Poland, in December 2018. Ministers will consider key messages from the preparatory phase in the form of a synthesis report, along with a complementary Yearbook of Global Climate Action.

Regarding the first overarching question (Where are we?), additional guiding questions address, inter alia: main sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, current and future trends, and underlying drivers; existing legal and policy frameworks for addressing climate change, and whether they adequately address climate goals; successes and barriers regarding current initiatives; best practices, business models, and available technologies and anticipated costs; response of the financial sector; successful partnerships with governments; and the role of women, local communities, indigenous peoples and youth in transitioning to low-emission and carbon-resilient societies.

At COP 24, ministers will consider key messages from the Talanoa Dialogue’s preparatory phase in the form of a synthesis report, along with a complementary Yearbook of Global Climate Action.

On the second question (Where do we want to go?), guiding questions address, inter alia: short-term and long-term visions for climate resilience and for balancing emissions and removals post-2050; required scientific evidence for such visions; near-term scope for increasing national ambition; and technology barriers preventing specific sectors to respond to climate change and how to overcome them.

On the third question (How do we get there?), guiding questions address, among others: legal, policy and fiscal frameworks required for the short-term and long-term visions; required technological advancements and developments by sector; investment levels and sources; the role of the of the financial sector, and external and internal reforms and incentives to accelerate capital flows; and the role of the UNFCCC.

The UNFCCC has also provided information on how all stakeholders can participate in the Talanoa Diaogue process. They can do so by: submitting written input to the Talanoa Dialogue portal; expressing interest to be part of an in-person Talanoa discussion during the Bonn Climate Change Conference; and fostering a broader conversation by, for example, holding or participating in a “regional Talanoa” or putting out a “call to action” through social media. The COP 23 Presidency and the UNFCCC Secretariat are also holding a series of webinars on the preparation of inputs.

The preparatory phase of the Talanoa Dialogue will enable countries and non-Party stakeholders to contribute ideas, recommendations and information that can accelerate climate action to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement on climate change and support the SDGs. It will provide the foundation for the Talanoa Dialogue’s political phase.

The Dialogue, launched by the COP 23 Fijian Presidency at the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn in November 2017, aims to promote enhanced ambition and will consider pre-2020 efforts by Parties on action and support. The UNFCCC Secretariat has established a Talanoa Dialogue portal to help countries and other stakeholders engage in the process. Talanoa is a concept from the Pacific that describes an inclusive, non-confrontational space for collective problem solving. [Talanoa Dialogue: Guidance for Parties] [UNFCCC Press Release on Additional Guiding Questions] [UNFCCC Press Release on Stakeholder Participation] [Talanoa Dialogue Webinars] [How to Submit Inputs] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on COP Presidencies Outlining Approach to Talanoa Dialogue in First Half of 2018] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on COP Presidencies Outlining Talanoa Dialogue Process] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on UNFCCC Launch of Talanoa Dialogue Portal]