Project Background

Negotiations under the FCCC and the Kyoto Protocol have become ever more complex, both the issues under discussion and the process of addressing them. And, increasingly, individual negotiators are called upon to address several technical, political and economic issues that often lie outside their areas of professional expertise. For this reason, many developed countries have expanded the number of their delegates to include a range of experts. But delegates from developing countries are often people with technical backgrounds, or those in diplomatic service with limited experience in the issues—a carry-over from the earlier days in the FCCC negotiations when the discussions focused mainly on technical issues, and when participation was supported mainly by the World Meteorological Organization.

During the fourth Conference of the Parties (COP-4) in November 1998, several African delegates identified to IISD a need to build capacity on climate change issues, targeted at African negotiators and tailored to the FCCC process. They highlighted the need for augmented resources as well as skills and knowledge to negotiate with larger delegations. They also sought the means to communicate inter-sessionally with parties having similar interests to prepare for negotiating sessions.

Unquestionably, the barriers facing African delegates often lead them to negotiate issues in isolation, weakening their positions and slowing the overall negotiations. Capacity building to enhance the delegates' negotiation skills and command of the issues is therefore important, not only for making informed decisions, but also for future negotiations under the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol. An effective agreement to combat climate change, or any other global environmental problem, cannot be reached until all parties participate fully in the process and understand the implications of any agreement.

Most African negotiators participate in more than one UN negotiation process. So, a small investment in capacity building for negotiators in the FCCC process will also strengthen African participation in a range of other conventions, from the Convention on Biological Diversity, to the Convention to Combat Desertification.

Several other organizations and research institutes have projects that deal with climate change and Africa, but no continuing or implemented project has been found with a similar goal and focus as those of the Climate Change Capacity Project—Africa. Many of the activities organized in Africa, for example, have focused on creating knowledge and on specific issues (such as mechanisms, joint implementation and inventories). And their focus has been on the capacity to implement the Convention within institutions at the national level. Although these activities are important, they have not adequately addressed the need to develop skills of negotiators who ultimately play a crucial role in shaping the regime that is and will be implemented nationally. And they have not concentrated directly on developing skills within the overall framework of the Convention.

The Climate Change Capacity Project—Africa recognizes the limits at the national and institutional levels. But it sees capacity building as a long-term process that can be carried out at several levels. It is essential that the project deal with all levels of decision-making, both nationally and internationally, and that it include those involved in decision-making and regime-building internationally. By targeting the national negotiators in the various countries, this project strives to fill one of the many steps in the process of capacity building. Our hope is that similar further activities will be conducted by ENDA-Energie in Senegal, an institution that has actively supported the work of the national delegates by providing scientific research on climate change and related issues.

     Return to Top