Enviro News Asia, Bonn — UN Climate Change has officially launched the Capacity-Building for Negotiators (CB4N) initiative to strengthen the ability of Party delegates—particularly those from developing countries and youth negotiators—to participate effectively and on equal footing in international climate negotiations.
The initiative was introduced during a global online launch event attended by nearly 400 participants, including representatives of Parties, United Nations agencies, intergovernmental organizations, and climate policy experts engaged in the UNFCCC process.
In a video address, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell underscored the importance of investing in negotiation capacity to ensure inclusive and effective climate diplomacy.
He stated that meaningful climate negotiations depend on the knowledge, preparedness, and confidence of negotiators, adding that the CB4N initiative aims to equip delegates—especially youth representatives—with the tools required to engage substantively in negotiations.
The CB4N initiative offers targeted training and knowledge-sharing activities focused on UNFCCC procedures, legal frameworks, and negotiation skills. The programme will be implemented through UN Climate Change and its six Regional Collaboration Centres, ensuring that capacity-building efforts respond to regional contexts and national needs.
During the launch, representatives of the COP30 Presidency and the incoming COP31 Presidency emphasized that enhanced negotiation capacity is essential as climate talks become increasingly complex and implementation-oriented.
The initiative responds to a mandate adopted at the sixty-second session of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI 62), which called on the secretariat to support Party delegates through structured capacity-building and accessible training materials.
CB4N builds on lessons learned from a pilot training conducted in September 2025, which tested core modules and delivery methods. Feedback from the pilot is being used to refine the programme and expand future training offerings, including online learning resources hosted on the UN Climate Change website.
UN Climate Change stated that it will continue to develop and institutionalize the CB4N initiative in close collaboration with Parties and partners, with the objective of strengthening inclusive participation and improving the effectiveness of the UNFCCC negotiation process. (*)
