Guide to the negotiations – Convention on Climate Change – COP20 and CMP10

The international scientific community has reached a consensus: human influence on changes to the climate system is clear. The impacts associated with climate change present huge risks for human health, food security and economic development. It is in this context that negotiators are meeting in Lima for the 20th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Here they will embark on a major step in the preparations towards the adoption, at the Paris Conference in 2015, of a new agreement on the post-2020 climate regime. The Lima negotiations will play a decisive role in the success of the Paris Conference. Many key issues still have to be resolved regarding the form and the principles of the 2015 agreement as well as the contributions from Parties for the pre- and post-2020 periods. Support for developing countries – notably through the Green Climate Fund – is also a key issue in the negotiations. For some Parties, commitments from developed countries and the provision of means of implementation are an essential prerequisite to the participation of all Parties in the 2015 agreement.

To help readers in better understanding the challenges of the Lima Conference, this guide provides a brief history of the negotiations (Part 1) and an analysis of the main issues that will be discussed this year, based on the most recent negotiation texts and country positions (Part 2). It concludes by presenting the expectations for the Lima Conference. The final section comprises a set of fact sheets that will provide a useful reference for new readers (Part 3). Although this guide is intended especially for negotiators from member countries of the International Organisation of la Francophonie (OIF), it will also be a useful tool for all other delegates.

This document has been prepared by ENERGIES 2050 on behalf of the Institut de la Francophonie pour le Développement Durable (IFDD). It does not necessarily represent the viewpoint of one or other of these organisations, nor that of the presidency of the COP20.