Climate Policy Brief, February 2013

The annual United Nations climate conference held in 2012 in Doha concluded on 8 December with low levels of commitments by the developed countries in two crucial areas -- emission cuts by them, and provision of climate financing for developing countries.

Climate Policy Brief, November 2012

Developing countries have long been at the frontlines of climate change and bearing the brunt of its impacts on sustainable development prospects and even, in many cases, physical survival and territorial integrity. These underscore the need for global cooperation and action on climate change.

A Transition Committee under the UNFCCC is discussing the design of a Green Climate Fund to operate under the Climate Convention. The South Centre is taking part in the Committee's meetings as an Observer Organisation. In June 2011, the South Centre made four written submissions on the themes of the four Workstreams of the Committee. The following are the submissions:

Research Paper 34, November 2010

This Research Paper sets out the relevance of international human rights obligations in light of the multiple constraints climate change poses to the sustainable development of developing countries. The paper demonstrates that the framework provided by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is particularly suitable to facilitate rights-based cooperation in accordance with the principle of affirmative action and the legal duty of all states to cooperate to realize human rights. In addition, the paper conducts an assessment of developed countries’ compliance with their UNFCCC obligations revealing a persistent compliance gap.

Analytical Note, August 2009

This Analytical Note examines flexibilities in the Agreement on Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and possible technology transfer approaches under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as among the possible modalities that developing countries can use to obtain access to and affect transfers of climate-relevant technologies. It looks at the possibilities and challenges that need to be addressed in this regard.

South Centre Analytical Note - January 2009

This Analytical Note looks at the level and delivery vehicles of public financing for climate change actions in developing countries from developed country Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (i.e. the Parties listed in Annex I of the Convention). It argues that such public financing from Annex I Parties as is available falls far short of what is needed, shows preference for non-UNFCCC delivery vehicles, and is essentially double-counted as compliance by these Annex I Parties with their official development assistance (ODA) and climate financing commitments. It concludes that existing modalities under which climate financing is being provided by developed countries have the effect of weakening the UNFCCC in terms of its role as a catalyst and vehicle for climate financing that is consistent with and supports theobjectives of the UNFCCC.