Author: Alice Baillat 1 COP21/CMP11 Report November 29 – December 12 Historical background: Key steps of the UNFCCC The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC, known as “the Convention”), spawned at the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992, entered into force in 1994. Countries that have ratified the Convention are known as “Parties to the Convention”. Article 4.9 of the Convention recognizes the specific needs and special situations of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). With today 196 countries, the UNFCCC has near universal membership and is the parent treaty of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The ultimate objective of both treaties – UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol – is to “stabilize greenhouse gas (GHS) concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system” (UNFCCC, 1992, Article 2). Parties meet every year in the Conference of Parties (COP) where they review and take decisions to ensure the effective implementation of the Convention. The first COP was held in Berlin in 1995. In 1997, the COP3 in Kyoto adopted the Kyoto Protocol, the world’s first greenhouse gas emission reduction treaty, which entered into force in 2005. Recognizing that developed countries are first responsible for the current high levels of GHG emissions in the atmosphere, the Protocol places a heavier burden on developed nations (Annex 1 Parties) under the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities”. Three market-based mechanisms are defined under the Kyoto Protocol: International Emissions Trading, Clean Development Mechanism and Joint Implementation. These mechanisms aim to stimulate green investment and help Parties meet their emission targets in a cost-effective way. The first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol started in 2008 and ended in 2012. The Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of Parties (CMP) is the supreme governing body for the Kyoto Protocol. The first CMP was held in Montreal in 2005. In 2001, the COP7 in Marrakech acknowledges the specific situations of LDCs, in that they do not have the means to deal with problems associated with adaptation to climate change, and established an LDC work programme including National adaptation programme of action (NAPAs) as well as other supporting activities. NAPAs provide a process for LDCs to identify priority activities that respond to their urgent and immediate needs to adapt to climate change – those for which further delay would increase vulnerability and/or costs at a later stage. The LDC Expert Group (LEG) is set up to provide guidance and advice on the preparation and implementation strategy for NAPAs, and the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) is established to support this process. In 2006, the COP12 in Nairobi established the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA), mandated to undertake a programme to address impacts,