Supporting international climate negotiators: lessons learned by the Coalition for Rainforest Nations

This research paper describes the activities and lessons learned by the Coalition for Rainforest Nations (CfRN) in supporting negotiators from developing countries during international climate change negotiations, specifically focusing on the implementation of REDD+.

• The Kyoto Protocol failed to include effective mechanisms for forest conservation or the prevention of deforestation, despite deforestation contributing approximately 20% of annual global carbon dioxide emissions. This exclusion was driven by concerns over the permanence of carbon in forests and the risk of leakage, leading the Protocol to focus instead on small-scale forest planting.
• Deforestation causes significant environmental and social damage, including soil erosion, biodiversity loss, and disruption of water cycles. It reduces national resilience to disasters like landslides and flash floods and threatens the livelihoods of millions in developing countries who depend on rainforests for food, fuel, and commercial products.
• The Coalition for Rainforest Nations (CfRN) provides strategic, technical, and legal support to over 50 developing countries to ensure they have a voice in UNFCCC negotiations. This includes organizing workshops to prepare submissions of views, which are typically endorsed by around 35 countries and delivered to the UNFCCC Secretariat.
• CfRN addresses the limitations of small developing country delegations by dispatching its own experienced staff to cover all relevant meetings and reporting back to participants. It also actively promotes developing country delegates for leadership roles, such as facilitators and co-chairs of contact groups.

APA

BIETTA, M. F., CHUNG, M. P., & MASSAI, M. L. (2013). Supporting international climate negotiators: lessons learned by the Coalition for Rainforest Nations. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CDKN_CfRN_6pp_final_web-res-copy.pdf

Chicago

BIETTA, Ms. Federica, Mr. Paul CHUNG, and Mr. Leonardo MASSAI. Supporting international climate negotiators: lessons learned by the Coalition for Rainforest Nations. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2013. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CDKN_CfRN_6pp_final_web-res-copy.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=BIETTA |first1=Ms. Federica |last2=CHUNG |first2=Mr. Paul |last3=MASSAI |first3=Mr. Leonardo |title=Supporting international climate negotiators: lessons learned by the Coalition for Rainforest Nations |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=November 2013 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CDKN_CfRN_6pp_final_web-res-copy.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bietta2013supporting, author = {BIETTA, Ms. Federica and CHUNG, Mr. Paul and MASSAI, Mr. Leonardo}, title = {{Supporting international climate negotiators: lessons learned by the Coalition for Rainforest Nations}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2013}, month = nov, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CDKN_CfRN_6pp_final_web-res-copy.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }