Building consensus in the UNFCCC

This research paper provides a guide for UNFCCC negotiators, particularly newcomers, on the mechanics of consensus-building and the challenges of multilateral climate negotiations. It combines the perspectives of a seasoned negotiator and a new negotiator to offer practical lessons on trust, transparency, and capacity-building.

• In the context of the UNFCCC and other multilateral environmental agreements, consensus is generally understood as the "absence of any formal objection" rather than a requirement for unanimous agreement or a formal vote.
• Effective negotiators must balance their country's non-negotiable "red lines" with a willingness to compromise in areas where other parties have greater needs to foster goodwill and reach satisfactory agreements.
• Building trust and ensuring transparency are critical for achieving consensus. Facilitators are encouraged to use bilateral talks and small group discussions to resolve sticking points, provided these are conducted transparently to avoid excluding other parties.
• New negotiators often face significant hurdles, including the complexity of negotiation schedules, the use of technical jargon and acronyms, and a lack of access to previous session texts, which are often only circulated to those present.
• Capacity-building for new negotiators is best achieved through mentoring and shadowing experienced colleagues for a year or more before taking a lead role in a negotiation track.
• The UNFCCC process is influenced by interactions and relationships between states outside the formal regime, which can either accelerate successful decisions or lead to ineffective ones based on non-climate ties.
• The Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP) was established in December 2011 to develop a legal instrument applicable to all Parties by 2015 to close the "ambition gap" in mitigation pledges.

APA

La Viña, A. G. M., Guiao, C. T. T., & Abebe, S. K. (2013). Building consensus in the UNFCCC. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Consensus-building_CDKN-Working-Paper-FINAL.pdf

Chicago

La Viña, Antonio G. M., Cecilia Therese T. Guiao, and Selam Kidane Abebe. Building consensus in the UNFCCC. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2013. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Consensus-building_CDKN-Working-Paper-FINAL.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=La Viña |first1=Antonio G. M. |last2=Guiao |first2=Cecilia Therese T. |last3=Abebe |first3=Selam Kidane |title=Building consensus in the UNFCCC |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=September 2013 |url=http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Consensus-building_CDKN-Working-Paper-FINAL.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lavia2013building, author = {La Viña, Antonio G. M. and Guiao, Cecilia Therese T. and Abebe, Selam Kidane}, title = {{Building consensus in the UNFCCC}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2013}, month = sep, url = {http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Consensus-building_CDKN-Working-Paper-FINAL.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }