Following the success of the Cancun climate change negotiations last December (COP16), UNITAR is committed to supporting the progress of multilateral negotiations under the UNFCCC. Throughout 2011, the Institute’s Multilateral Diplomacy Programme will be working to strengthen the participation of Parties and key stakeholders in forthcoming consultations and decision-making processes, so as to harvest the momentum generated by the outcomes in Cancun and to enhance consensus-building between all Parties working towards a post-2012 climate change agreement.   Last week, from February 28 – March 4, UNITAR's Multilateral Diplomacy Programme (MDP) worked in partnership with the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Republic of South Africa, to deliver a training workshop for officials from a variety of government ministries, to enhance their understanding and appreciation of the challenges, opportunities and risks related to the ongoing progress of multilateral negotiations on climate change.   The workshop focused on strengthening the knowledge and skills of those whose working in relation to climate change diplomacy, in order support inter-ministerial coordination and preparations in the run-up to the COP17 negotiations to be held in Durban later this year (December, 2011).     The workshop included lectures, discussions and practical sessions covering a broad range of topics, reflecting the breadth of the challenges posed by global climate change. The workshop also incorporated practical training on negotiation skills and consensus building in multilateral conference diplomacy, so as to compliment understanding of the crucial details of current negotiation deadlocks and how these may be overcome in the forthcoming climate change negotiations.   UNITAR remains committed to empowering individuals with the knowledge and skills needed to address the challenges of our times. Climate change is becoming an ever more urgent challenge that the international community must seek to address.  UNITAR’s Multilateral Diplomacy Programme will continue to work with national governments in order to facilitate further progress post-Cancun, throughout 2011, on the road to Durban.   For further information please contact The Multilateral Diplomacy Programme at UNITAR: ccdiplomacy@unitar.org      

 

 

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