United Nations Climate Change Conference, Durban 2011

United Nations Climate Change Conference, Durban 2011
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Name	United Nations Climate Change Conference, Durban 2011
Date	28 November – 11 December 2011
Location	Durban, KwaZulu‑Natal, South Africa
Venue	Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre
Participants	Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, observers
Previous	2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference
Next	2012 United Nations Climate Change Conference

United Nations Climate Change Conference, Durban 2011 was the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Durban from 28 November to 11 December 2011. The session brought together representatives from European Union, United States, China, India, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, Russia, and other Parties alongside observers from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, United Nations Environment Programme, World Bank, and civil society groups including Greenpeace and Sierra Club. The conference culminated in a package of decisions that aimed to bridge differences between developed and developing Parties, reconcile the Kyoto Protocol architecture with emerging national commitments, and set a pathway for a legally binding instrument.

Background

The Durban meeting followed prior sessions including Conference of the Parties sessions in Copenhagen (2009) and Cancún (2010), and was framed by debates over the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, the evolution of the International Mechanism for Loss and Damage, and implementation of the Cancún Agreements. Stakeholders arriving in KwaZulu‑Natal referenced earlier negotiations under the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties and the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action alongside inputs from G77 and China, Umbrella Group, and Alliance of Small Island States. Financial and technical arrangements discussed at Durban built on documents from the Green Climate Fund conceptualization, the Global Environment Facility, and assessments by the Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation.

Conference objectives and agenda

Primary objectives included defining the fate of a second Kyoto Protocol commitment period, advancing creation of the Green Climate Fund, clarifying a Durban outcome under the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action, and operationalizing institutions for technology transfer including the Technology Mechanism and Climate Technology Centre and Network. Delegations from Least Developed Countries, Small Island Developing States, African Group, and Brazil, South Africa, India and China sought assurances on mitigation finance and adaptation finance from Parties such as Japan, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway. Parallel agenda items referenced submissions from European Commission, United States Department of State, and multilateral bodies including International Monetary Fund and Organisation for Economic Co‑operation and Development.

Negotiations and outcomes

Negotiations were characterized by phased meetings among the Bureau of the Conference of the Parties, Presidency of the Conference, and contact groups chaired by negotiators from South Africa, Mexico, and Bangladesh. Key outcomes included agreement language addressing a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol with participation from European Union members, a roadmap for a new legal instrument under the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action, and operational steps for the Green Climate Fund and the Adaptation Committee. The package also covered details on accounting under the Measurable, Reportable and Verifiable framework, modalities for the Clean Development Mechanism, and procedures linked to the International Transaction Log and registry systems supported by World Meteorological Organization expertise.

Adoption of the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action

Delegates adopted the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action, launching a process to negotiate a new protocol, another legal instrument, or an agreed outcome applicable to all Parties, to be adopted by 2015 and implemented from 2020. The Platform creation involved inputs from High‑Level Panel on Climate Change Financing stakeholders, negotiations among G77 and China, and compromise proposals advanced by the European Union and partners including AOSIS and African Group. The decision articulated a workplan under the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action with milestones for negotiating mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology transfer, and capacity building.

Reactions and political impact

Responses varied: leaders from European Commission and United Kingdom praised the pathway, while spokespersons from Australia and Japan expressed reservations over commitments. Advocacy organizations including 350.org, Friends of the Earth, and WWF highlighted the need for stronger ambition, while industry associations such as International Emissions Trading Association analyzed market implications. Political repercussions affected domestic debates in Canada, United States, China, and India and influenced subsequent diplomacy at the 2012 United Nations Climate Change Conference and multilateral forums including G20 and Rio+20 follow-ups.

Implementation and follow-up mechanisms

Durban decisions established implementation tracks: launching the Green Climate Fund operationalization, directing the Adaptation Committee and the Technology Executive Committee to develop workplans, and setting schedules for further negotiations under the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action. Monitoring and compliance activities referenced reporting frameworks under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and procedures used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for science‑policy interfaces. The Durban package created the institutional architecture that guided subsequent decisions at later Conference of the Parties sessions, intergovernmental consultations, and finance mobilization efforts involving multilateral development banks and regional institutions.

Category:United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change conferences Category:2011 conferences Category:Climate change policy