United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is an international treaty that entered into force on March 21, 1994 and was ratified by 193 countries. It is a public and global commitment to climate change mitigation and adaptation, at global and local levels.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is an international treaty that entered into force on March 21, 1994 and was ratified by 193 countries. It is a public and global commitment to climate change mitigation and adaptation, at global and local levels. A complement to the UNFCCC, the Kyoto Protocol was a legally-binding and more powerful agreement that entered into force on 16 February 2005, setting binding targets for greenhouse gas emissions for 37 industrialized countries and the European community; 184 Parties of the Convention have ratified its Protocol to date (status as of 1 April 2010).

Under the Convention, governments are expected to: gather and share information on greenhouse gas emissions, national policies and best practices; launch national strategies for addressing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to expected impacts, including the provision of financial and technological support to developing countries; and, cooperate in preparing for adaptation to the impacts of climate change.

Energy at UNFCCC

UNFCCC supports the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol. While the UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol do not prioritize a particular sector in their work programmes, the energy sector is and remains of critical importance to achieving emission reductions. The Convention also supports the implementation of the Technology Transfer Framework, which assists countries in their actions for environmentally sound technology, including in the energy sector. Further work comprises scientific, technical and socio-economic aspects of mitigation, including the following aspects: currently available and emerging technologies, including small-scale mitigation technologies and associated emission reduction potential; opportunities and best practices to overcome barriers to and factors that promote innovation, deployment, transfer and diffusion of these technologies, including through innovative financing; international cooperative efforts to promote technology innovation, deployment, transfer and diffusion, and opportunities to enhance such cooperation; socio-economic aspects of mitigation, such as costs and benefits, co-benefits, spillover effects and “win–win” practices that contribute to sustainable development; and, cross-cutting aspects and methods and tools for assessing mitigation opportunities.

Services provided by UNFCCC include:

• Making a contribution to sustainable development through support for action to mitigate climate change at the global, regional and national level
• Providing high quality support to the intergovernmental process in the context of the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol
• Creating and maintaining necessary conditions for an early, effective and efficient implementation of the Kyoto Protocol
• Providing and disseminating high quality, understandable and reliable information and data on climate change and on efforts made to address it
• Promoting and enhancing the active engagement of NGOs, business and industry, the scientific community and other relevant stakeholders in the Convention’s work and processes, including through effective communication.