Back to the Start? A brief analysis of the Bonn Climate Change Conference (ADP 2-11)

The ADP 2-11 session in Bonn was characterized by a loss of consensus and a reversal of previous progress due to dissatisfaction with the Co-Chairs' proposed negotiating text. Instead of advancing toward a final agreement for COP 21, parties spent the session re-compiling a more comprehensive but fragmented text, reverting to positions held earlier in 2015. The meeting was further hampered by procedural disputes over the use of closed spin-off groups and a lack of progress on the accompanying decision text, leaving the Paris negotiations with a complex and unrefined basis for agreement.

• The ADP Co-Chairs' proposed 'non-paper' was rejected by many parties who viewed it as 'unbalanced' and lacking comprehensiveness, leading to a loss of faith that critical issues would be addressed.
• To restore party ownership, delegates undertook a re-compilation exercise that effectively erased compromises made in previous sessions (ADP 2-9 and 2-10) and returned to positions from February 2015.
• The resulting negotiating text leaving Bonn was significantly larger and more complex than the Co-Chairs' draft, consisting of a 31-page draft agreement and a 20-page draft decision for work-stream 1, plus an 8-page document for work-stream 2.
• The conference was marked by procedural friction, specifically regarding the fragmentation of work into nine spin-off groups and a lack of transparency, as these groups were closed to observers.
• Progress was stalled by a 'vicious cycle' where parties refused to remove items from the agreement text without knowing the contents of the decision text, yet could not finalize the decision text without the agreement being set.
• Delegates concluded the session by requesting the Secretariat to produce a technical paper to identify streamlining opportunities and duplications without altering the text's content.

APA

Antonich, B., Nelson, G., Savaresi, A., Schulz, A., & Wiseman, V. (2015). Back to the Start? A brief analysis of the Bonn Climate Change Conference (ADP 2-11). International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/articles/insight/back-start-brief-analysis-bonn-climate-change-conference-adp-2-11

Chicago

Antonich, Beate, Gillian Nelson, Annalisa Savaresi, Anna Schulz, and Virginia Wiseman. Back to the Start? A brief analysis of the Bonn Climate Change Conference (ADP 2-11). International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2015. https://www.iisd.org/articles/insight/back-start-brief-analysis-bonn-climate-change-conference-adp-2-11.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Antonich |first1=Beate |last2=Nelson |first2=Gillian |last3=Savaresi |first3=Annalisa |last4=Schulz |first4=Anna |last5=Wiseman |first5=Virginia |title=Back to the Start? A brief analysis of the Bonn Climate Change Conference (ADP 2-11) |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=5 November 2015 |url=https://www.iisd.org/articles/insight/back-start-brief-analysis-bonn-climate-change-conference-adp-2-11 |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{antonich2015back, author = {Antonich, Beate and Nelson, Gillian and Savaresi, Annalisa and Schulz, Anna and Wiseman, Virginia}, title = {{Back to the Start? A brief analysis of the Bonn Climate Change Conference (ADP 2-11)}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2015}, month = nov, url = {https://www.iisd.org/articles/insight/back-start-brief-analysis-bonn-climate-change-conference-adp-2-11}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }