In advance of the highly anticipated United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP 16) that took place in Cancun, Mexico from 28 November -10 December 2010, UNITAR was commissioned by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat to deliver a high-level briefing for the presiding officers who were to chair the various negotiating groups during the Conference.  

The UNFCCC Conference in Cancun was particularly important, and caught the world’s attention, since negotiations in Copenhagen in 2009 had failed to take the necessary steps forward towards delivering consensus on a post-Kyoto international climate change regime.

To facilitate the negotiation process in Cancun was to be no simple task for the presiding officers. The position of the chair in multilateral conferences is always highly complex and requires not only sensitivity to the issues at stake, but also effective mediation and consensus-building skills in order to bridge the concerns of individual Parties and to find common ground between sometimes polarized negotiating positions.

Ambassador Ronald A. Walker, who has an extensive track record in multilateral negotiations, delivered the workshop on behalf of UNITAR. The event was opened and closed by the UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Ms Christiana Figueres. It was well received by participants, who felt it was a valuable initiative to support them in the delivery of their challenging task at-hand.

The objective of the Mexican Government for the Conference was to encourage plural, transparent and inclusive dialogue between Parties. This objective will be carried forward post-Cancun into 2011, as discussions under the UNFCCC continue to build upon the agreement reached during the late hours of this year’s Conference.

UNITAR fully supports the Mexican Government’s objective and will be pleased to continue its work begun in Cancun throughout 2011, with the aim of strengthening the capacities of those involved in the climate change multilateral negotiation and diplomacy process, working in close collaboration with international partners.

For more information about COP16, Mexico 2010, see http://cc2010.mx/en/ or http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_16/items/5571.php

For further information about the briefing session and UNITAR’s work in climate change diplomacy, please contact Ms Emily Fraser at diplomacy@unitar.org