Promoting Public Participation in Climate Policies

This briefing note from the Center for International Environmental Law outlines opportunities to enhance public participation and access to information within the UNFCCC process, specifically during the 48th Session of the Subsidiary Bodies. It argues that integrating procedural rights into the implementation guidelines of the Paris Agreement is essential for effective climate action and alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals.

• The UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement establish commitments to promote public participation and access to information, building on Principle 10 of the 1992 Rio Declaration and SDG Target 16.7, which calls for "responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels".
• Regional conventions provide legally binding frameworks for environmental democracy. The Aarhus Convention obligates 47 UNFCCC Parties from Europe and Central Asia to promote participation in international environmental decision-making. Similarly, the Escazú Convention, adopted in March 2018 by 24 parties from Latin America and the Caribbean, commits states to promote public participation in international forums and negotiations with environmental impacts.
• Public participation should be integrated into the planning of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to ensure they are truly "nationally determined". The document suggests that guidance for future NDCs should invite countries to share information on their planning processes, including consultations with stakeholders, indigenous peoples, and local communities.
• Adaptation Communications should reflect the requirements of Article 7.5 of the Paris Agreement by reporting on the "meaningful and effective participation of civil society", particularly for groups most exposed to climate impacts or those traditionally excluded from policy making.
• The future transparency framework and the Global Stocktake (GST) should provide formal mechanisms for civil society to contribute information and participate in review processes. For the GST, the document emphasizes that modalities must allow civil society to provide input at all stages to maximize "public awareness and public scrutiny".
• The Sustainable Development Mechanism (SDM) under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement must implement stronger safeguards for the procedural rights of local communities to avoid the shortcomings of the Clean Development Mechanism, where projects were often implemented without full consultation of impacted communities.
• The UNFCCC is working to enhance the role of observer organizations and indigenous peoples. This includes exploring more frequent civil society interventions in intergovernmental meetings and operationalizing a platform for indigenous and local knowledge based on principles of "equal status of indigenous peoples and Parties" and self-selection of representatives.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2018). Promoting Public Participation in Climate Policies. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/PromotingParticipation_EntryPoints_SBs48-final.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Promoting Public Participation in Climate Policies. 2018. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/PromotingParticipation_EntryPoints_SBs48-final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Promoting Public Participation in Climate Policies |date=April 2018 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/PromotingParticipation_EntryPoints_SBs48-final.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2018promoting, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Promoting Public Participation in Climate Policies}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2018}, month = apr, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/PromotingParticipation_EntryPoints_SBs48-final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }