UNFCCC: Relevance
- GS 3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
What is UNFCCC?
- The UNFCCC (for United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) is the United Nations based framework that support the global response to the threat of climate change.
- It was signed by 154 states at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), informally known as the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
- The original secretariat was in Geneva. Since 1995, the secretariat has been located in Bonn, Germany.
- The Convention has near universal membership (197 Parties) and is the parent treaty of the 2015 Paris Agreement and 1997 Kyoto Protocol.
- UNFCCC established an international environmental treaty to combat “dangerous human interference with the climate system”, in part by stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.
- UNFCCC treaty is considered a legally non-binding agreement.
What is Conference of the Parties (COP)?
- Article 7.2 of the convention defines the COP as the “supreme body” of the Convention, as it is its highest decision-making authority. The climate change process revolves around the annual sessions of the COP.
Timeline of important COPs
| UNFCCC COPs | Year | Venue | Landmark decisions |
| UNFCCC COP 1 | 1995 | Berlin, Germany | — |
| UNFCCC COP 3 | 1997 | Kyoto, Japan | Kyoto protocol adopted |
| UNFCCC COP 7 | 2001 | Marrakesh, Morocco | Marrakesh Accords—the most detailed outline of the rules and procedures for the functioning of the global carbon market instruments like International Emissions Trading, the Clean Development Mechanism and Joint Implementation |
| UNFCCC COP 8 | 2002 | New Delhi, India | Delhi Declaration: focussed on the development needs of the poorest countries and the need for transfer of technology to mitigate climate change. |
| UNFCCC COP11/CMP1 | 2005 | Montreal, Canada | First session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. |
| UNFCCC COP13 | 2007 | Bali, Indonesia | Bali Road Map and Bali action plan: charing the way for a post-2012 outcome. |
| UNFCCC COP 14 | 2008 | Poznan, Poland | Adaptation Fund under the Kyoto Protocol launched. |
| UNFCCC COP15 | 2009 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Copenhagen Accord drafted. A five nation accord between US and BASIC countries (India, China, Brazil and South Africa). Developed countries promised to provide $30 billion for the period 2010-12 and to mobilize long term finance of further $100 billion a year by 2020. |
| UNFCCC COP 16 | 2010 | Cancun, Mexico | Green Climate Fund (GCF) established to assist developing nations in dealing with climate change. GCF was intended to raise climate finance of $ 100 billion by 2020. |
| UNFCCC COP 17 | 2011 | Durban, South Africa | A new commitment to form a universal climate change agreement by 2015 for the period beyond 2020. This agreement effectively resulted in the Paris Agreement of 2015. |
| UNFCCC COP 18 | 2012 | Doha, Qatar | Doha Agreement: Agreement to extend the life of the Kyoto Protocol. Climate Technology Centre (CTC) was established as an implementation arm of the UNFCCC Technology Mechanism. |
| UNFCCC COP 19 | 2013 | Warsaw, Poland | Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) term was coined here. |
| UNFCCC COP 20 | 2014 | Lima, Peru | National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) should be prepared by the government. Launch of NAZCA Climate Action Portal. |
| UNFCCC COP 21 | 2015 | Paris, France | Paris Agreement adopted.
Global Stocktake to be created every 5 years to assess the collective progress towards achieving the purpose of the Paris Agreement. |
| UNFCCC COP 22 | 2016 | Marrakech, Morocco | Adaptation of African Agriculture (AAA) was launched at the Conference. Deliberations on “Orphan Issues”. |
| UNFCCC COP 23 | 2017 | Bonn, Germany. (Chaired by Fiji) | Gender Action Plan was launched. Ocean Pathway Partnership was launched, Talanoa Dialogue, Powering Past Coal Alliance. |
| UNFCCC COP 24 | 2018 | Katowice, Poland | —— |
| UNFCCC COP 25 | 2019 | Madrid, Spain | Establishment of Santiago Network. |
| UNFCCC COP 26 | 2021 | Glasgow, UK | Glasgow summit |
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