Consensus-Building in the UNFCCC

The author, a negotiator for Ethiopia, details the steep learning curve for newcomers in the UNFCCC, citing complexities in scheduling, jargon, and lack of historical context. To facilitate consensus, the paper suggests enhancing capacity building through mentorship, utilizing external policy briefs and informal dialogues to build trust, and increasing the transparency of data and negotiation texts. It argues that trust, transparency, and the free flow of information are essential for parties to overcome conflicting national interests and reach multilateral agreements.

• New negotiators face significant barriers to entry, including a complex schedule of parallel sessions, the extensive use of jargon and acronyms, and a lack of access to historical decisions and previous negotiation texts.
• Capacity building is identified as a critical first step for reaching agreements, with the author recommending a mentorship model where new negotiators shadow experienced colleagues for a year or more before taking lead roles.
• Informal activities and external support, such as policy briefs containing scientific data and costs, can help negotiators understand thematic areas and the positions of other parties, potentially making countries more open to compromise.
• Trust and transparency are essential for consensus; the author suggests that the UNFCCC Secretariat could increase transparency by providing texts from various stages of development to help negotiators understand the evolution of decisions.
• The availability of data on climate impacts and mitigation costs is necessary to reduce fears of unintended consequences and pressure parties to reach agreements for the greater good.
• The document notes the evolution of UNFCCC agreements from the 1992 Convention to the Kyoto Protocol, the Bali Road Map, the Copenhagen Accord, and the Durban Platform, highlighting a developed country commitment to provide $100 billion annually for climate financing starting in 2020.

APA

Abebe, S. K. (2013). Consensus-Building in the UNFCCC. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Background-Paper-Selam-Abebe-Consensus-building-in-the-UNFCCC.pdf

Chicago

Abebe, Selam Kidane. Consensus-Building in the UNFCCC. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2013. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Background-Paper-Selam-Abebe-Consensus-building-in-the-UNFCCC.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Abebe |first1=Selam Kidane |title=Consensus-Building in the UNFCCC |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=2013 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Background-Paper-Selam-Abebe-Consensus-building-in-the-UNFCCC.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{abebe2013consensusbuilding, author = {Abebe, Selam Kidane}, title = {{Consensus-Building in the UNFCCC}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2013}, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Background-Paper-Selam-Abebe-Consensus-building-in-the-UNFCCC.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }