Report from the Madrid Climate Conference

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law analyzes the outcomes of the COP25 climate negotiations held in December 2019 in Madrid, focusing on the integration of human rights into climate policies. It highlights a disconnect between the urgency demanded by global activists and the lack of ambition shown by negotiating Parties, while detailing specific developments regarding carbon markets, loss and damage, and gender action plans.

• The COP25 conference was characterized by a significant gap between the urgency expressed by civil society and youth movements outside the negotiations and the lack of ambition demonstrated by the Parties within the negotiation rooms.
• Negotiations on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement regarding carbon markets ended without an agreement at COP25. This was viewed as a positive outcome by human rights advocates because the final texts proposed by the Chilean Presidency lacked independent grievance processes, robust social and environmental safeguards, and sufficient consultation with local communities.
• The review of the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage (WIM) resulted in the creation of the 'Santiago network for averting, minimizing and addressing loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change.' However, the final decision failed to establish new and additional finance, instead relying on general climate finance scaling, which risks diverting funds from other development or humanitarian aid.
• A significant achievement of COP25 was the adoption of a renewed five-year Lima work programme (LWP) and a new gender action plan (GAP). This is the first time a UN climate decision has explicitly referenced discrimination and intersectionality, recognizing that climate impacts differ between men and women due to multidimensional factors and historical inequalities.
• The sudden relocation of COP25 from Santiago, Chile, to Madrid, Spain, created barriers for the participation of indigenous peoples, grassroots organizations, and civil society from Latin America and Chile. This shift hindered the ability of Chileans to highlight specific climate-related issues, such as those in 'sacrifice zones' or the impacts of the Alto Maipo hydroelectric project.
• The 'San José Principles for High Ambition and Integrity in International Carbon Markets' were launched by Costa Rica and endorsed by 32 countries. While intended as a benchmark for environmental integrity in carbon markets, the principles do not mention social safeguards or the rights of indigenous peoples and human rights.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2020). Report from the Madrid Climate Conference. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/CIELreportCOP25_HumanRights.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Report from the Madrid Climate Conference. 2020. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/CIELreportCOP25_HumanRights.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Report from the Madrid Climate Conference |date=January 2020 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/CIELreportCOP25_HumanRights.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2020report, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Report from the Madrid Climate Conference}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2020}, month = jan, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/CIELreportCOP25_HumanRights.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }