GfGD Moves a Step Closer to Becoming a Formal Observer to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change

Geology for Global Development (GfGD) has been given provisional admittance to COP26, where representatives will decide if we will be admitted as an Observer Organisation to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

If granted, full observer status will allow us to participate in the UNFCCC process, including the UN-managed spaces of their Climate Change Conferences (or COPs). In the meantime, we have been given granted provisional admittance to COP26 (in Glasgow, 31 October – 12 November 2021), ensuring geoscientists have a voice in the foremost global forum for multilateral discussion on climate change.

GfGD Executive Director, Dr Joel C. Gill, said:

“GfGD has been at the forefront of geoscience engagement in international policy processes for several years. Formal observer status will allow us to bring our expertise in geoscience and sustainable development to this global forum, contributing to discussions on the energy transition, sustainable land use, and disaster risk reduction. We are delighted that the UNFCCC secretariat has determined we are an eligible organisation, and hope our application is accepted at COP26. We look forward to playing an active role in this critical meeting, and beyond.”

What is the UNFCCC?

The UNFCCC - United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change - is the parent treaty of the 2015 Paris Agreement, aiming to keep the global average temperature rise this century to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. To date, 197 countries (known as Parties to the Convention) have ratified this convention.

The United Nations climate change conferences are the foremost global forums for multilateral discussion of climate change matters. They serve as the formal meetings of the Conference of the Parties (COP), the supreme decision-making body of the Convention with all Parties to the Convention represented. A COP reviews the implementation of the Convention and takes decisions necessary to promote its effective implementation.

What is the structure of the UNFCCC conferences?

There are three categories of participants at meetings and conferences in the UNFCCC process: representatives of Parties to the Convention and Observer States, members of the press and media, and representatives of observer organizations. The latter include: the United Nations System and its Specialized Agencies, intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

The participation of NGOs, like GfGD, is a fundamental element of the Convention process. It helps:

• bring transparency to the workings of a complex intergovernmental process;

• facilitates inputs from geographically diverse sources and from a wide spectrum of expertise and perspectives;

• improves popular understanding of issues and promotes accountability to the societies served.

The participation of NGOs in the Convention process is both flexible, and active, supporting the global trend towards more informed, participatory, and responsible societies.