2-4 November, 2011, Republic of Indonesia. Building on the achievements of the Cancun climate change negotiations last December (COP16), UNITAR is committed to supporting the progress of multilateral negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Throughout 2011, the Institute’s Multilateral Diplomacy Programme has been 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.

From November 2–4 2011, UNITAR worked in partnership with the Centre for Education and Training, of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, to deliver training on climate change diplomacy for ministerial officials, 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 working in relation to climate change diplomacy, so as to support their coordination and preparations in the run-up to the COP17 negotiations to be held in Durban later this year (December, 2011).

The training included lectures, discussions and practical activities covering a broad range of topics, reflecting the breadth of the challenges posed by global climate change. The sessions also incorporated practical training on negotiation skills and consensus building in multilateral conference diplomacy, so as to complement participants’ 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 before Durban’s COP17, to support Parties in reaching a successful outcome at the conference, and to facilitate continued momentum under the UNFCCC process throughout 2012.