Inside the UNFCCC and the Party-Driven Process

Introduction: Beyond the Headlines

Every year, headlines cover the massive UN Climate summits, known as COPs, filled with world leaders, negotiators, and activists. The scale can seem overwhelming, leaving an important question unanswered: in a room with representatives from nearly every country on Earth, who actually makes the decisions? How is this complex process structure to produce meaningful results?

In this post in a three-part series, I will unpack how international climate negotiations actually work. This first post demystifies the architecture of these vital negotiations. We will explore the inner workings of the UN climate process, revealing a system deliberately designed to be driven by the countries themselves, and how science enters the negotiations room. In post 2, I will explore the Paris Agreement and how NDCs create a cycle of increasing ambition. In Post 3, I will dive into the Global Stocktake: the mechanism designed to keep pushing countries toward stronger climate action.

1. Inside the UNFCCC: The Party - Driven Process

   
   

1.1 The UNFCCC: The institutional Home of Climate Negotiations

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the institutional home for global climate action. A large part of its work is facilitating the intergovernmental negotiation process, where delegates from participating nations come together to address climate change.

Something to highlight is that the UNFCCC (1992) itself sets principles (like the precautionary principles and common but differentiated responsibilities) and call for regular negotiation. While the actual binding agreements - the Kyoto Protocol (1997) and the Paris Agreement (2015) - came later.

UNFCCC is the institutional container and COPs (Conference of the Parties) are where Parties meet annually to decide what to do within that container. Each UNFCCC COP produces decisions texts on various topics: climate finance, mitigation targets, adaptation strategies, technology transfer, capacity building, and much more. These decisions are negotiated line-by-line, word-by-word. So if the UN facilitate climate negotiations, why does not just impose solutions? Why all the lengthy negotiations?

The UNFCCC operates as a Party-driven process, where all decisions are made under a fundamental principle of international law: legitimacy requires consent. These means that the organization itself does not impose outcomes and the authority rests with the nations involved.

1.2 A Party-Driven Process: Why Governments Decide, not the UN

The most critical concept to understand is that the work of the UNFCCC is a “Party-driven process”. This means that the participating governments - known as “Parties” - are the ones who set the agenda, negotiate the outcomes, and make the decisions.

Parties propose issues, submit proposals for decision text, and decide what gets discussed. Every word is debated and negotiated among Parties. And finally decisions are made by consensus (ideally) or by voting. Consensus means universal agreement, which signals legitimacy, but it also gives every country veto power.

This could look like messy and slow, but it ensures that vulnerable nations - small island states facing sea-level rise, least-developed countries with minimal historical emissions - have equal voice with power emitters like the US, China, and the EU.

The role of observers (non-Party stakeholders) adds another layer. Civil society organizations, indigenous peoples, youth movements, private companies, and cities can attend negotiations, participate in side events, and submit inputs. However, they can not vote, but can influence. This way climate activist can be “in the room” at COPs accredited as observers.

1.3 The Secretariat: Facilitating Without Imposing

The UNFCCC Secretariat serves as facilitator, not arbiter, because does not take sides or dictate terms, its function is to enable the Party-driven process to work effectively.

Within its role, includes logistical and technical support (meetings, data analysis, summaries of progress that inform negotiations), capacity building (training, analysis, attendance funding) develop overview documents that parties use to assess collective progress.

The Secretariat is empowered to move the process forward (calling for votes when consensus is blocked, suggesting compromise language), but it lacks power to impose outcomes.

2. How Science Enters the Room

One advantage of climate negotiations is that are connected to formal mechanisms that ensure the latest science informs every discussion. The UNFCCC framework has two primary workstreams to ensure evidence-based decisions negotiations process.

2.1 Part I: Research & Systematic Observation (RSO)

This first mechanisms: RSO organizes meeting twice yearly where scientists, government delegates, and non-Party stakeholders gather to discuss the latest climate science and observational data. These meetings include:

The Research Dialogue (annual, at COP)

Scientist present findings on:

• Climate trends: what is happening to global temperature, precipitation, ice, etc

• Projections: what climate models forecast for different warming scenarios (1.5°C, 2°C, 3°C, etc.)

• Pathways: what mitigation, adaptation, and support actions are needed to align with Paris Agreement goals.

• Gaps: what we do not know, where more research is needed.

As an example, if scientists say “the 1.5°C pathway is nearly closed, we have 3-5 years to peak global emissions” that shapes how countries negotiate their next NDCs. This allow Parties to understand the implications for their own climate commitments.

Earth Information Day (annual, intersessional in Bon)

This dialogue focuses specifically on observational infrastructure: satellite systems monitoring Earth's climate, data gaps, ground-based observation networks. With baseline data for climate action is possible to measure accurate emission inventories or monitor forest loss.

RSO discussions ensure negotiators understand data infrastructure needs and opportunities to respond with the latest science to climate change.

2.2 Part II: Working with the IPCC

The second workstream involves close cooperation with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The UN works with the IPCC to ensure that Parties can consult with its authors and use its finding to inform their discussions.

Every 5-7 years, the IPCC publishes a comprehensive Assessment Report summarizing the state of climate science, impacts and risks, mitigations options and adaptation strategies, etc.

3. Why This Architecture Matters: Setting Up the Ambition Cycle

This structure of country-led decisions informed by science is not static, it is designed to create momentum over time through a mechanism called the Global Stocktake (GST).

The GST is an in-depth check on where the world stands collectively on its progress toward the Paris Agreement goals. The first-ever GST was launched at COP26 (2021) and conclude in 2023 providing the initial baseline for this ambition cycle. The timing of the GTS was chosen to coincide with the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) review period, which are each country´s self-defined targets for reducing emissions and adapting to climate impacts. The mains issues being assessed within GST are:

• where are we?

• how did we get here?

• how do we get to where we need to be effectively combat the adverse impacts of climate change.

It conducts a comprehensive review across three core thematic areas: Mitigation, Adaptation, and Means of Implementation and Support. The outcome is to inform and guide the Parties in updating and improving their NDCs, to allow for correction, increase level of ambition, and enhance international cooperation for climate action.

Finally the GST is designed to create a feedback loop that generates ever-increasing ambition. The science and collective progress review directly informs the next round of national pledges, ensuring that NDCs become progressively stronger over time. Conclusión: The System is Designed to Work - If We Use it

The UN climate negotiations is carefully constructed, Party-driven framework that empowers nations to make decisions collectively. They are systematically designed to function despite deep conflicts of interest.

A Party-driven process ensures developing nations are not bullied into unfair agreements. The Secretariat´s facilitation role keeps the process moving without imposing outcomes. The formal integration of science ensure negotiations are grounded in evidence, no emotion or ideology.

Does it work perfectly? No. Countries still block language, fossil fuel interests still lobby governments to weaken commitments. Consensus voting gives countries veto power (including petro-states). Developing nations lack capacity to fully participate in technical discussions.

However, this system creates structural pathways for increasing ambition by connecting science to policy and giving voice to vulnerable nations. And of course creating a regular assessment to check whether the world is on track.

As a climate professional, our role is to understand this machinery, identify where leverage exists, and contribute expertise to push the system toward greater ambition.

Sources: UNFCCC Official Information:

• Brief Overview of the UNCCC secretariat structure

• How to COP? (2023)

• Presiding Officer´s Guide (2025)

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