Building climate diplomacy back better: imagining the UNFCCC meetings of tomorrow

The report explores the potential for a digital transition of the UNFCCC process, finding broad stakeholder support for moving technical and preparatory activities online, while highlighting significant concerns regarding power imbalances, the digital divide, and the loss of informal relationship-building essential for political consensus.

• A significant majority of surveyed stakeholders support moving parts of the UNFCCC process online, with 72% welcoming the transition of some or many activities and 75% rating their recent online experience as neutral or good.
• Stakeholders identify specific activities as highly suitable for online formats, most notably thematic workshops and expert meetings (75%), technical review processes (65%), and informal consultations (64%).
• There is a strong perception that online formats could enhance the process by increasing inclusivity, allowing delegations from developing countries to expand their numbers and expertise, and reducing the carbon footprint of the UNFCCC.
• Concerns exist that a digital transition could exacerbate existing power imbalances and the 'digital divide,' specifically regarding time zone scheduling (cited by 69%), platform functionality (47%), and unstable internet access (40%).
• Political negotiations and formal decision-making are viewed as the most difficult activities to move online, with only 24% of respondents believing negotiations could be held virtually due to a lack of trust and the absence of in-person 'huddles'.
• Civil society and media representatives fear that online processes could reduce transparency and limit their ability to lobby or hold negotiators accountable, as they lose the power of physical presence and spontaneous interaction.
• The report suggests that 'regional hubs'—such as the African Hub hosted by Egypt during the 2021 SB sessions—provide a viable hybrid model that addresses connectivity gaps while maintaining some in-person coordination.
• The transition to online modalities is seen as a proxy for a deeper need for systemic reform of the UNFCCC, as the process shifts from global negotiation of the Paris Agreement to domestic implementation and accountability.

APA

Klein, R., Harris, K., Bakhtaoui, I., Lager, F., Lindblom, A., & Carson, M. (2021). Building climate diplomacy back better: imagining the UNFCCC meetings of tomorrow. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/10.51414-sei2021.019.pdf

Chicago

Klein, Richard, Katy Harris, Inès Bakhtaoui, Frida Lager, Andrea Lindblom, and Marcus Carson. Building climate diplomacy back better: imagining the UNFCCC meetings of tomorrow. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2021. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/10.51414-sei2021.019.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{klein2021building, author = {Klein, Richard and Harris, Katy and Bakhtaoui, Inès and Lager, Frida and Lindblom, Andrea and Carson, Marcus}, title = {{Building climate diplomacy back better: imagining the UNFCCC meetings of tomorrow}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2021}, month = sep, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/10.51414-sei2021.019.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }