European Capacity Building Initiative

News Archive

Our Quo Vadis COP? Future Arrangements for Intergovernmental Meetings under the UNFCCC – Settled and Fit for Purpose (March 2021) was premised on the fact that the purpose of the multilateral climate...
20 November 2024
With ecbi set to publish an update to its 2021 report Quo Vadis COP? Future Arrangements for Intergovernmental Meetings under the UNFCCC – Settled and Fit for Purpose , many prominent people that are...
19 November 2024
At COP29, DanChurchAid, Oxford Climate Policy (OCP), and the International Peace Institute (IPI) hosted a side event titled “Innovative Sources for Loss and Damage Funding: Introducing the Climate...
18 November 2024
ecbi hosted an Asia Pacific Regional Training workshop for novice climate negotiators to gain a better understanding of the climate process, the main issues being addressed in the climate...
10 November 2024
On 21 October 2024, Professor Jeffrey Sachs (Columbia University), having been approached by ecbi Director Benito Müller, gave a special lecture under the aegis of the Oxford Climate Research Network...
22 October 2024
On September 27, 2024, Oxford Climate Policy (OCP), the International Peace Institute (IPI), and the Global Solidarity Levies Task Force co-hosted a closed-door roundtable discussion titled 2024: The...
21 October 2024
The 2024 Oxford Seminar, ecbi’s annual flagship event, took place from 28-30 August at the Examination Schools, with 30 participants attending in person—15 developing country Fellows and 15 European...
12 September 2024
ecbi and International Peace Institute have published a Discussion Note, titled Could US Port Authorities Adopt Climate Solidarity Levies? A Case Study of New York City and Los Angeles . The note...
10 September 2024
Perspectives Climate Research and ecbi have published a briefing note on Finding Common Ground on the New Quantified Collective Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG) that governments are expected to...
15 August 2024
ecbi has published a Discussion Note , highlighting some of the contentious issues in advance of COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. COP29 is expected to deliver on key decisions, which are necessary for...
26 July 2024
In June 2024, ecbi Director Benito Müller introduced the proposal for a Climate Solidarity Alliance to a meeting of the Climate and Development Ministerial (C&DM) at Wilton Park, at the...
02 July 2024
During a virtual panel discussion organised by the International Peace Institute, ecbi Director Benito Müller presented on the potential of climate levies to fund climate action, particularly loss...
28 June 2024
The 2024 edition of ecbi's Bonn Seminar convened on 9 June at the Hotel Collegium Leoninum, with presentations and discussions on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, the New Collective Quantified Goal...
09 June 2024
The Women Climate Leaders Network of the UNFCCC (WCLN) met on the margins of the Bonn Climate Conference in June 2024. During the now traditional ‘first Monday of the conference’ dinner, which was...
08 June 2024
Discussion Note on Operationalizing the VCM-iSOP This Discussion Note, by ecbi Director Benito Müller, explains how an international Share of Proceeds (iSOP) for the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM)...
22 May 2024
ecbi hosted a Caribbean Regional Training Workshop for novice climate negotiators to gain a better understanding of the climate process, the main issues being addressed in the climate negotiations,...
06 May 2024
With over 80,000 participants in the UN “Blue Zone” (and many more in the adjacent host-country “Green Zone”), the recent UN climate change conference (COP28) in Dubai was the largest multilateral...
14 February 2024
ecbi has published a brief highlighting some of the most salient outcomes from COP 28, while also looking forward to COP 29 to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan. The brief focuses on the evolution of the...
10 February 2024
ecbi has published its 2023 Annual Report . The Bonn Seminar , Fellows Colloquium, and Oxford Seminar took place during the report period, covering a range of issues of relevance to the...
06 February 2024
This 6 February blog post, Nomen est Omen! , begins with a brief historical account of the evolution of the “Loss and Damage” narrative in the multilateral climate negotiations, and ends up with the...
06 February 2024
On 16 January 2024, the Oxford Martin School hosted a panel discussion reflecting on COP 28 and whether the agreement from that conference ( The UAE Consensus ) goes far enough. Leading off the...
18 January 2024
On 8 December 2023, Diann Black-Layne (Ambassador for Climate Change of Antigua and Barbuda) and Benito Müller (Director OCP/ecbi) co-hosted a side event on Climate Solidarity Levies (CSLs) dedicated...
14 December 2023
It has been a sombre journey to the COP this year, beginning with the funeral of Pete Betts in London, where I met some of friends and climate stalwarts (Artur Runge-Metzger, John Ashton, and Todd...
01 December 2023
ecbi has published a policy paper , which argues that innovative funding sources and response tools are needed to address loss and damage. Even as the new loss and damage fund is operationalised and...
30 November 2023
An updated version of ecbi’s Pocket Guide to the Paris Agreement has been published just in time for COP 28. It details progress made on the various issues addressed under the Agreement’s Articles...
28 November 2023
On 22 November 2023, Dr. Frederica Fricano (Director at the Italian Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security and Head of the Italian delegation to the UNFCCC), Professor Benito Müller (ecbi...
27 November 2023
I have known Saleem as a friend and collaborator for most of this century and was promoting the idea of Climate Solidarity Levies at a meeting with representatives of the Government of Antigua and...
30 October 2023
On Tuesday, 24 October 2023, ecbi Director Professor Benito Müller, in his capacity as a Strategic Partner to the Alliance of Small Island States , gave a presentation on Climate Solidarity Levies...
25 October 2023
The Honorable Ralph Regenvanu from Vanuatu, who serves as Minister of Climate Change Adaptation, Meteorology, Geo-Hazards, Environment, Energy, and Disaster Management, has sent a letter of...
11 October 2023
ecbi has published a Policy Paper that analyses how the social integrity of the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) could be boosted through a “Share of Proceeds for Adaptation (SOPA)” to support the...
05 October 2023
On 26 September 2023, ecbi Director Benito Müller gave a presentation on Innovative Sources of Climate Finance at the first 2023 ‘Séminaire Environnement et Relations Internationales’ organised by...
27 September 2023
The ecbi Management Group is pleased to announce that Kishan Kumarsingh (Head of Delegation from Trinidad and Tobago) has been given leave by his government to take on the role of Head of the ecbi...
19 September 2023
The 2023 ecbi Oxford Seminar convened from 23-25 August at St. Catherine’s College, with developing country and European negotiators discussing: the recent decision adopted by SBSTA58 and SBI58 to...
27 August 2023
A new ecbi Discussion Note, entitled Sustainable Aviation Fuels - The Way Forward: From Biological to Synthetic Fuels , focuses on the key role Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) play in meeting the...
26 August 2023
On 30 June in New York, the International Peace Institute (IPI), with Oxford Climate Policy (OCP), organised an event on Innovative Finance for Loss and Damage: Capitalizing the New Fund . During the...
11 July 2023
On 11 June, ecbi convened its annual Bonn Seminar , bringing together approximately 40 participants from European and developing countries, of which around 40% were women and 45% were from developing...
22 June 2023
On 11 June, ecbi hosted a Lunch Seminar with members of the Transitional Committee on Loss and Damage, as well as other interested parties. Inès Bakhtaoui, independent researcher, presented on an...
11 June 2023
On 9 June, ecbi Director Benito Müller participated in an event titled Actions After Impacts: Set of Solutions & Opportunities from Non-State Actors to Address Loss and Damage, which took place...
09 June 2023
An International Peace Institute (IPI) publication, Financing Loss and Damage at Scale: Toward a Mosaic Approach references, in its conclusions and recommendations, the idea of International Climate...
15 May 2023
On 30 April 2023, ecbi Director Benito Müller made a presentation on innovative sources of financing during the first workshop on addressing loss and damage in Bonn. His presentation was on...
02 May 2023
On 5 April, ecbi Director Benito Müller provided a context setting presentation during a Consultation Meeting on “Enhancing Energy Efficiency in MSMEs with performance-based payments through a pilot...
05 April 2023
In March 2023, the ecbi Director attended the OECD Climate Change Expert Group (CCXG) Global Forum , where he facilitated the session on “Understanding the scope of funding for Loss and Damage ”. He...
28 March 2023
A new report by ecbi assesses key outcomes from COP27, focusing on discussions and decisions related to ambition, finance, loss and damage, and the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA). The report...
20 March 2023
ecbi has published its latest Annual Report covering the period April 2021 through December 2022. The Bonn Seminar, Fellows Colloquium, and the Oxford Seminar took place during the report period, all...
20 February 2023
Malik Amin Aslam Khan, former Pakistani Minister for Climate Change (pictured in photo), has sent an open letter to the Board of the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (IC-VCM) calling...
25 January 2023
The decision to establish a Loss and Damage Response Fund in Sharm el Sheikh has been hailed as “historic” in the multilateral climate regime, and recognises that loss and damage is not a future...
24 January 2023
Her Excellency Maisa Rojas Corradi, Chilean Minister of Environment, sent a letter to ecbi Director Professor Benito Müller, thanking him for his efforts and support in moving forward the discussion...
31 December 2022
Professor Saleemul Huq has been recognised by Nature on its list of 10 people who helped shape science in 2022 . Huq, who is Director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (...
31 December 2022
On 20 November 2022, a Decision was taken in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, on “funding arrangements for responding to loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change,” which is widely...
10 December 2022
As Pilita Clark mentioned in her recent Financial Times Opinion : “Oxford university professor Benito Müller, a long time climate adviser to low-income countries, would replace today’s costly “mega-...
23 November 2022
On 9 November, the day after the US mid-term elections, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry launched the Energy Transition Accelerator (ETA), an initiative designed to support...
10 November 2022
On 4 November 2022, Malik Amin Aslam Khan, former Pakistan Minister for climate change and Benito Müller, ecbi Director, had an OpEd titled ‘Time to Respond!’ published on the news aggregator...
05 November 2022
On 25 October, Professor Benito Müller, ecbi Director, gave a presentation on his Quo Vadis COP? Report on the Future Arrangements for Intergovernmental Meetings under the UNFCCC at the Centre for...
31 October 2022
The Climate Vulnerable Forum , an international forum for countries most threatened by climate change, has published a blog post by Saleemul Huq, Head of the ecbi Training and Support Programme. The...
31 October 2022
A new Pocket Guide from ecbi sheds light on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. A key part of the 2015 Paris Agreement, Article 6 sets out the basis for international cooperation on climate action,...
20 October 2022
The Paris Agreement made significant strides towards the prioritisation of adaptation in the global climate regime. The Paris Agreement codified a Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), including...
20 October 2022
ecbi Director Professor Benito Müller has published two new OCP Blog Notes on issues related to the current deliberations on Loss and Damage (L&D) in the multilateral climate negotiations. The...
17 October 2022
The 2022 Oxford Seminar took place from 5-7 September. The topics addressed were timely as many of them are being addressed at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Topics related to a proposed loss and...
08 September 2022
On 27 July, the IC-VCM launched a 60-day public consultation on its draft Core Carbon Principles (CCPs), Assessment Framework and Assessment Procedure. Professor Benito Müller, on behalf of OCP/ecbi...
04 August 2022
Several recent news articles have highlighted the proposal for a Share of Proceeds for Adaptation (or SOPA) as a Core Carbon Principle of the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM). Reuters, for example,...
28 July 2022
The 2022 Bonn Seminar took place on 12 June at La Redoute in Bad Godesberg, Bonn, Germany. Over 30 invited participants from over 20 delegations, who were also participating in the UNFCCC Subsidiary...
12 June 2022
Reflecting on the ideas put forward in the OCP/ecbi Discussion Note on " A Share of Proceeds for Adaptation (SOPA) in the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) ", and the OCP blog post on " Safeguarding...
08 June 2022
Social responsibility is one of the key motivators of voluntary corporate action. It is therefore valuable to harness carbon markets to promote multiple co-benefits in addition to mitigation,...
16 March 2022
In a webinar held on 3 March 2022 and attended by more than 70 people from around the world, contributors to ecbi’s latest policy brief COP26 Key Outcomes discussed the key elements of the brief...
15 March 2022
A letter of appreciation has been received by Professor Benito Müller from Minister Simonetta Sommaruga, Switzerland, for his “ high level of engagement leading up to COP26 in Glasgow, ” in...
24 February 2022
OCP and ecbi have responded to a UNFCCC request for submissions on climate financing with a proposal for a new, collective and quantified public-sector goal on adaptation grant finance. The UNFCCC...
01 February 2022
Did COP26 in Glasgow save or doom us? A new report by ecbi, COP26 Key Outcomes , assesses the Glasgow Climate Summit on the level of political ambition it achieved as well as what it delivered on...
26 January 2022
Prof Saleemul Huq, Head of the ecbi Training and Support Programme, has been awarded an OBE in the UK New Year's Honours List for services to combatting International Climate Change. The honour was...
06 January 2022
In December last year, following the Technical Climate Dialogue on Common Time Frames (CTF) convened by the Chair of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI), an OCP blog announced: ‘...
15 November 2021
On Monday 8 November 2021, during an ecbi reception at UNFCCC COP26 in Glasgow, Danish Secretary of State for Development Cooperation, Lotte Machon, on behalf of Flemming Møller Mortensen, Danish...
11 November 2021
In the run up to UNFCCC COP26 in Glasgow, Oxford-based portrait artist Fran Monks has used Zoom to photograph climate negotiators from around the world. She was curious to see who was behind these...
02 November 2021
The issue of predictable finance is once again on the negotiation table at the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP26) in Glasgow. Relevant – and highly contentious – is the issue of the...
01 November 2021
On 21 October 2021, ecbi and Perspectives Climate Research co-hosted a workshop on Supporting adaptation through Article 6 of the Paris Agreement: Innovative funding through non-market cooperation...
28 October 2021
On 7 September 2021, Minister Mujawamariya of Rwanda and Minister Sommaruga of Switzerland, invited by the COP 26 Presidency to consult with ministers on Common Time Frames (CTF) for NDCs, convened a...
14 September 2021
This OCP/ecbi Discussion Note by Benito Müller looks at how the use of a ‘share of proceeds’ – referred to in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol and the Article 6 Mechanism...
07 September 2021
This Technical Paper produced by OCP/ecbi for the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) as part of their Strategic Partnership looks in some detail at the options under consideration in the...
19 July 2021
Report of the webinar launch of the ecbi policy brief " Quo Vadis COP? Future Arrangements for Intergovernmental Meetings under the UNFCCC ." The webinar, which took place on 26 March 2021, was...
15 July 2021
NEW! Spanish version. Countries communicate their plans to implement the Paris Agreement through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). What should these NDCs contain? What “information to...
14 July 2021
NEW! French version. Countries communicate their plans to implement the Paris Agreement through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). What should these NDCs contain? What “information to...
14 July 2021
This brief history of Enhanced Direct Access traces the idea back to a number of historic precursors, such as the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) under the Marshall Plan, the World Bank...
02 July 2021
On 1 June, Leslie Hook, Environment and Clean Energy Correspondent of the Financial Times published an article ("Climate summit jamborees could use a good clean-up") based on the ecbi Quo Vadis COP?...
15 June 2021
The Glasgow Ambition Cycle, developed under the aegis of the ecbi, got a crucial vote of confidence at the Dialogue, where the importance of reaching agreement on common time frames at COP26 was also acknowledged. ecbi Director Benito Müller presented on the links between common timeframes and ambition.
19 May 2021
Nouveau! Comprend désormais les lignes directrices de mise en œuvre adoptées en 2018 et les implications pour la législation et la politique nationales dans les pays en développement.
17 May 2021
Any healthy organization or process will at times consider the efficiency and relevance of how they organize their work. This is also the case for the intergovernmental process of the UNFCCC. How is...
30 April 2021
OCP is honoured to receive a request for a strategic partnership with the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS). Amb. Diann Black-Layne (Antigua & Barbuda), Chair of AOSIS, has formally invited...
19 April 2021
In the course of the year, the Fellowship Programme held eight virtual events; and the Training and Support Programme held three regional Training Webinars. By far the most productive arm of the ecbi...
19 April 2021
As the global climate change negotiations shift to implementation mode, the institutions and process of the global negotiations will also have to adapt and become fit for purpose. ecbi launched a...
30 March 2021
Sharing experiences – particularly on the merits of different legislative approaches, lessons learnt, and good practices – can help drive efficient and successful implementation of climate action on...
29 March 2021
The term ‘response measures’ is not in regular use outside of the UNFCCC process, and is not easily understood by policymakers and stakeholders even within the process. This Guide aims to increase...
26 March 2021
Les menaces créées par les changements climatiques se multiplient et les pays en développement vont avoir besoin de négociateurs capables de défendre leurs populations contre ces menaces. Ces guides...
24 March 2021
Bulk purchasing technology under the non-market approaches (NMAs) defined in Article 6.8 of the Paris Agreement could help developing countries to reduce the costs of climate-friendly technology...
01 March 2021
At a webinar on non-market mechanisms (NMAs) under Article 6.8 of the Paris Agreement, organised by ecbi on 17 February 2021, the key architect of Article 6.8 explained that "non-market" need not...
25 February 2021
The climate negotiations are strongly influenced, on all sides, by appeals to ‘listen to the science’. This Pocket Guide is aimed at both scientists and policymakers who are involved in the science-...
08 February 2021
ecbi lead partner organisation Legal Response International (LRI) organised a “legal jam” on 12 December 2020, to mark the fifth anniversary of the adoption of the Paris Agreement. Fourteen leading climate lawyers from around the world – from Australia to South America, Antarctica to Europe – presented their ideas for the future of the climate negotiations, in particular leading up to, and during, the Climate Change Conference in 2021.
17 December 2020
Finance has always played a pivotal role in the global climate change negotiations, as an enabler of action but also as an indicator of the level of trust between developed and developing countries...
16 December 2020
Agreement on the rules for "cooperative approaches" under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement will now not be possible until at least late 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, countries...
08 December 2020
ecbi Director Benito Müller provided academic support for the Mock COP26, held from 19 November to 1 December 2020. Presenting on climate justice, Müller described the different concepts of justice applicable to climate change, including compensatory justice, punitive justice, distributive justice, and intergenerational justice.
30 November 2020
The Adaptation Fund Board recently approved a pilot Enhanced Direct Access (EDA) funding window, “ to further empower entities to directly identify and fund local adaptation efforts ”. ecbi played a...
18 November 2020
Climate negotiators still have work to do to ensure that the global process for submitting and updating nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement encourages – not thwarts...
16 November 2020
Includes 2019 Enhanced Lima Work Programme on Gender and its Gender Action Plan, and updated resources for incorporating gender in climate planning and action.
11 November 2020
A webinar to launch the updated Pocket Guide on NDCs, on 6 October 2020 was attended by 88 participants. Click below to see the presentations, and a legal note by ecbi partner Legal Response International responding to a question asked at the webinar, on whether Parties are bound to submit their revised NDCs by 2020, or whether the postponement of COP26 means that the hard deadline for submission is now 1 February 2021.
07 October 2020
Countries are currently in the process of revising their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Learn more about what they are expected to do, and what their experiences have been. Be sure to share this invitation with national policymakers and stakeholders.
25 September 2020
REVISED AND UPDATED. Your quick guide to the history of negotiations on capacity building under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the global institutional framework, and how global...
15 September 2020
“We are coming to that point in time where we should and must settle the issue of common timeframes,” said Marianne Karlsen, Chair of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI), in an opening...
07 September 2020
Training climate negotiators during the COVID-19 pandemic.
30 July 2020
Why an Ambition Cycle under the Paris Agreement matters, and why it matters now.
23 July 2020
How are decisions arrived at under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change? What are the rules of engagement? Who are the different actors? Are COP decisions legally binding on countries? How are deadlocks resolved? This and more in our new guide to the hardware that drives the international climate regime. Know your L docs from your CRPs, and your informal-informals from your informals.
21 July 2020
Dear Professor Müller, I would like to thank you and the ecbi on behalf of the LDC Group for having supported us in our efforts to enhance domestic capacity for accessing climate finance, and for persevering throughout the numerous set-backs over more than half a decade. I believe the LDCF project that has just been approved has the potential to make a significant and lasting difference in generating domestic capacity of LDCs to absorb climate finance. - Sonam Wangdi, Chair of the LDC Group on Climate Change in a letter to the ecbi Director.
06 July 2020
Countries communicate their plans to implement the Paris Agreement through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). What should these NDCs contain? What “information to facilitate clarity,...
15 June 2020
New elements in the final reporting year for ecbi Phase IV included a mentorship programme for women, the publication of a Guide to the Paris Agreement, and a training workshop in the Caribbean. In...
03 June 2020
NEW Guide to the Paris Agreement. Now includes the implementation guidelines adopted in 2018, and implications for domestic law and policy in developing countries.
30 March 2020
How has technology development and transfer (TDT) been dealt with under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement? What challenges do developing countries face in identifying and accessing technology needs...
30 March 2020
The international community has increasingly signalled a commitment to address gender issues in the global climate change negotiations, and in national-level implementation of climate action. This...
25 March 2020
At the 2019 Climate Change Conference in Madrid, Spain, crunch issues – an unambiguous call for much higher climate ambition to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, finance for the loss and damage...
24 January 2020
ecbi arranged mentorships for nine “new” women negotiators at the 2019 Climate Conference in Madrid, Spain. Five ecbi bursary holders and four young women supported by the Women Delegates Fund of the Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO) were paired with senior women negotiators from developing and developed countries. The senior women negotiators provided support, advice, and encouragement to their mentees over the two weeks of the Conference. This new ecbi initiative was endorsed by the COP25 Presidency at an event attended by Meilín León (in the photo), Ministry of Environment, Chile on 4 December 2019, at the Conference venue.
15 January 2020
What makes it so difficult to reach a deal on market-based cooperation under the Paris Agreement?
19 December 2019
The governance arrangements for the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage and its Executive Committee have been contested since the conclusion of negotiations on Article 8 of the Paris...
20 November 2019
What's holding up the Article 6 negotiations? Can differences be resolved at the 25th Conference of Parties (COP25) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change? This policy paper explains the...
19 November 2019
ecbi convened a pilot Regional Workshop for the Caribbean from 30-31 October 2019 in Tobago, with 17 participants from the region in attendance. Sessions, mostly led by senior negotiators from the...
31 October 2019
Conventional “CO2-equivalent” emissions calculations do not consistently reflect the impact of emissions on global temperature: they overstate the impact of short-lived climate pollutants such as methane by a factor of about four, while understating the large impact of changes in methane emission rates. Myles Allen and Michelle Cain from the University of Oxford explain how CO2-e emissions can nevertheless be used to calculate “warming-equivalent” emissions to inform burden-sharing discussions, mitigation policies in crucial sectors such as agriculture, and stocktakes of progress towards a global temperature goal.
17 October 2019
This flyer highlights the importance of bringing together all countries on the same page with a common NDC time frame, to enhance ambition and at the same time enable more equitable global outcomes.
26 August 2019
A series of meetings were held in Delhi in August 2019, related to the development of two proposals for Enhanced Direct Access under the Green Climate Fund. On 5 August, Anju Sharma met Minister for...
19 August 2019
On 2 August 2019, ecbi Director Benito Müller and PPAU Head Anju Sharma took part in a multistakeholder dialogue on climate finance organised by Prakriti Resource Centre in Kathmandu, Nepal. It was...
19 August 2019
The 2019 Regional Training Workshop for Asia and the Pacific was held on 31 July and 1 August in Kathmandu, Nepal. The workshop was organised by International Institute for Environment and...
19 August 2019
The 2019 ecbi Bonn Seminar was hosted by the City of Bonn in the Altes Rathaus on 23 June. It was attended by 40 climate negotiators from 30 developing and European countries. A welcoming address was delivered by Stefan Wagner, Head of the Department of International Affairs and Global Sustainability, City of Bonn. Discussions followed on common time frames; the collective quantified goal for climate finance and innovative sources; financing the transition to net-zero; and the Article 6 negotiations.
25 June 2019
Updated after Katowice, the 2019 version of this Pocket Guide takes into account the Paris rulebook agreed in 2018, to provide a succinct description and analysis of the new "enhanced transparecy...
07 June 2019
During a "bridging day" between the Francophone and Anglophone Regional Training Workshops for Africa, a day for dialogue on national experiences with the NDCs and with accessing climate finance was...
07 June 2019
The ecbi Regional Training Workshop for Anglophone Africa, on 2 & 3 May 2019 at the Harmony Hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was organised in partnership with regional partner ENDA Energie. It was...
07 June 2019
The 2019 ecbi Regional Training and Support Workshop for Francophone Africa took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 29 April to 1 May. The workshop was attended by 32 participants from the region...
07 June 2019
On 11 April 2019, OCP/ecbi and Climate Action Network South Asia co-hosted a Seminar on Common Time Frames: Creating Space for Ambition in the Paris Agreement Rulebook in the India International Centre, New Delhi. The Seminar was attended by representatives from the government, think tanks, academia and civil society.
19 April 2019
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) provides the foundation for the international response to climate change. This Pocket Guide seeks to summarise and explain the main provisions...
06 April 2019
This Pocket Guide provides a brief history of the global community’s response to adaptation under the UNFCCC since 1992. Although the response has gathered pace in recent years, it has yet to gather...
06 April 2019
This event, jointly organised by the Women's Environment and Development Group (WEDO) and ecbi from 4-6 March 2019 in Oxford, provided an opportunity for ecbi to further deepen its engagement at the...
11 March 2019
This seminar, organised by Climalia, ecbi and Italian Climate Network took place at the University of Florence on 13 February 2019. Following opening remarks by Ilaria Perrisi from the University of...
20 February 2019
A webinar on the outcomes of COP24 in Katowice was organised in Florence, Italy by the European University Institute , Climalia and ecbi on 12 February 2019. Attended by over a 100 participants worldwide, the event was moderated by Simone Borghesi, Director, FSR Climate, European University Institute. Leonardo Massai, Co-founder of Climalia, presented on the Katowice outcomes, while ecbi Director Benito Müller focused on the ambition mechanism of the Paris Agreement and on climate finance.
20 February 2019
The 24th Conference of Parties (COP24) to the UNFCCC was an important milestone for the international climate change regime, expected to further animate the Paris Agreement by adopting the detailed...
02 February 2019
This event was organised by the Paris Committee on Capacity Building (PCCB) and ecbi on 8 December 2018 in Katowice, Poland, during COP24. It showcased ideas for innovative, additional contributions...
08 December 2018
The 2018 ecbi Pre-COP Training Workshop took place on 1 December at the Focus Hotel in Katowice, Poland. The Workshop was attended by 28 negotiators from least developing countries (LDCs), who were...
01 December 2018
The Dynamic Contribution Cycle, designed during the 2014 ecbi Oxford Seminar to maximise space for future ambition in the Paris Agreement, revisited in light of recent developments and submissions to...
09 November 2018
The IPCC’s special report on Global Warming of 1.5°C recently highlighted the importance of early action against climate change. In this context, pre-2020 ambition becomes ever more critical. As the...
30 October 2018
The 2015 Paris Agreement was negotiated piece by piece, rather than as a whole document. As a result, although several pieces of the Agreement are closely related and even overlap, not all the...
22 October 2018
This Global Climate Action Summit Affiliate Event on 14 September 2018, at the University Club of San Francisco, was co-hosted by Oxford Climate Policy, Cool Effect, and 350 Seattle. Leaders,...
20 September 2018
The 2018 Oxford Seminar and Fellows Colloquium, from 13-17 August, focused on key concerns relating to the ongoing global negotiations on the rules for implementing the Paris Agreement, including:...
20 August 2018
The ecbi 2018 South and Southeast Asia Regional Training Workshop was held on 6 and 7 June in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It was attended by 28 government representatives from 13 countries in the region...
04 July 2018
Know your NDCs. This Pocket Guide takes you through the controversial beginnings of NDCs, to their current diversity; considers the challenges that countries are likely face in their implementation;...
29 May 2018
The 2018 Bonn Seminar, on 6 May at the Oxford Club in Bonn, was attended by 45 participants from Europe and developing countries. They discussed issues of relevance to the development of the Paris...
10 May 2018
At the 2018 Regional Training Workshop for Francophone Africa in Saly, Senegal, from 11-13 April, aspiring climate negotiators and national policy makers from West Africa recieved training from...
19 April 2018
The 2018 Anglophone Regional Training Workshop took place from 9-11 September 2017 in Saly, Senegal. The workshop, hosted by ENDA Énergie, was attended by negotiators and national policymakers from...
19 April 2018
Faisons-nous assez pour lutter contre le changement climatique? Les pays respectent-ils leurs engagements? La transparence constitue un élément clé pour pouvoir répondre à ces questions. Ce Guide de...
16 April 2018
This policy brief gives an account of how Article 6 of the Paris Agreement came into being, focussing in particular on the role of Brazil and the EU in the run up to Paris. It then seeks to clarify...
09 April 2018
Struggling to keep up with the loss and damage discussions under the UNFCCC? This ecbi Pocket Guide takes you through the basics, including definitions of the various kinds of losses and damages...
27 March 2018
Quelle a été la contribution de la CCNUCC aux questions de genre? Elle a notamment adopté un Plan d'Action pour l'Egalité des sexes en 2017. Celui-ci est abordé dans la version mise à jour du Guide...
19 March 2018
The updated 2018 edition of the Pocket Guide on Capacity Building for Climate Change summarises the history of negotiations on capacity building under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change,...
19 March 2018
On 8 & 9 March 2018, Oxford Climate Policy facilitated a Seminar for agriculture negotiators as part of the Koronivia Dialogue hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN in Rome, Italy. The Seminar built on seminars for agriculture negotiators hosted by OCP/ecbi in Bad Godesberg, Germany, and Oxford, UK, in September and May 2017.
14 March 2018
What has the UNFCCC ever done for gender? Adopted a gender action plan in 2017, for one. This updated version of the Pocket Guide also covers the new action plan. Read all about how gender has been...
28 February 2018
To meaningfully weigh the advantages and disadvantages of ‘common time frames’, clarity is necessary on which common time frames one is referring to. In the context of nationally determined...
26 February 2018
Are we doing enough to address climate change? Are countries living up to their promises? Transparency is key for answering these questions. This ecbi Pocket Guide, updated in January 2018, traces...
31 January 2018
Parties to the Paris Agreement face a difficult balancing act while developing further guidance for the Adaptation Communications, as they strive to make them useful and effective on one hand, and...
31 January 2018
Fiji's Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama, who presided over COP23, writes: "I wish to thank you for sharing the Pocket Guide to the Paris Agreement, which offers a very practical means to appreciate the key provisions and objectives of the Paris Agreement. It is certainly an excellent guide which was very handy for Leaders, politicians and experts alike... . I highly recommend your Guide to stakeholders at all levels of government, private sector, as well as civil society".
28 December 2017
Massachusetts State Senator Mike Barrett has introduced a bill to give taxpayers the option to donate a portion of their tax returns to the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF). This potentially groundbreaking legislation is supported by OCP, Oxfam America, and Boston University's Institute for Sustainable Energy. Watch the campaign video!
20 December 2017
The Chair of the UNFCCC's Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) appreciates the role of OCP/ecbi in the COP23 decision on agriculture: "You invited the right negotiators and experts to these workshops. More importantly, as an "outsider" to the agriculture negotiations you asked the right probing questions at the workshops."
23 November 2017
OCP/ecbi is honoured to have a role in a breakthrough decision on agriculture at COP23. Two Ad-hoc Seminars organised by OCP/ecbi in Oxford in May 2017, and in Bad Godesberg in September 2017, are credited with furthering the discussions and building trust between parties in testimonials from negotiators who participated in the workshops.
23 November 2017
A special event on the role of the UN Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) in promoting sub-national action on adaptation in and for LDCs was convened in Bonn, during COP23, by Oxford Climate Policy/ecbi and the Environmental Change Institute, with support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The event focused on action on the ground and financial support for adaptation, and the role of sub-national actors in providing both.
23 November 2017
The ecbi Director facilitated a session on enhancing access to, and participation in, UNFCCC negotiations by admitted observer organisations, during the first ever "Open Dialogue" at COP23.The Dialogue was opened by COP23 President, Frank Bainimarama and UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa; and chaired by COP23 Climate Ambassador Deo Saran.
23 November 2017
What will the new UNFCCC gender acton plan look like? This ecbi Pocket Guide explores how gender has been addressed in the UNFCCC process so far. It elaborates on gender linkages across the different...
20 November 2017
The 2017 ecbi Pre-COP Training Workshop took place on 4 November 2017, in Derag Livinghotel Kanzler, Bonn.
13 November 2017
A brief on the need to balance flexibility and utility while develolping the guidance for Adaptation Communications at COP23 and beyond.
09 November 2017
On 13 October 2017, the Board of the Adaptation Fund today took the historic decision to "to initiate a process toward accreditation with the GCF". The ecbi has supported the Adaptation Fund from the...
13 October 2017
As parties to the UNFCCC work on developing a gender action plan, find out what has already been done on gender in the climate negotiations, and what the key elements of the new action plan are...
10 October 2017
The 2018 Facilitative Dialogue, now called the Talanoa Dialogue, will address three questions: where are we now; where do we need to be; and how do we get there. It will include a preparatory phase...
09 October 2017
On 26 September 2017, a delegation of 12 officials from the Turkish Treasury and the Ministries of Environment & Urbanisation, and Foreign Affairs visited Oxford Climate Policy as part of a study...
26 September 2017
On 21 and 22 September 2017, 27 climate negotiators from across the globe (14 from developing countries and the rest from the developed world) met at La Redoute in Bonn Bad Godesberg to discuss the...
21 September 2017
On 21 June 2017, the ecbi director was interviewed by the Czech economics daily "E15", in the margins of the Prague Climate Talks, where he gave a keynote speech on the need for Europe to demonstrate...
13 September 2017
On behalf of ecbi, Oxford Climate Policy, ecbi organised a seminar on the emerging role of sub-national contributions to multilateral climate finance at the Climate Chance Summit that took place in...
11 September 2017
The 2017 Asia Regional Training Workshop took place on 6 & 7 September 2017 in Negombo, Sri Lanka. The workshop, hosted by Janathakshan, was attended by over 30 “new” negotiators and national...
07 September 2017
On Thursday 31 August 2017, Oxford Climate Policy, on behalf of the European Capacity Building Initiative (ecbi) and the Oxford University Natural History Museum, hosted a special event for the...
01 September 2017
The 2017 Fellowship, which took place from 28 August to 1 September, hosting 24 ecbi Fellows – senior climate change negotiators from developing countries. On 30 August, the Fellows were joined by 24...
01 September 2017
Not satisfied with only a “National” Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA), Nepal pioneered a framework for Local Adaptation Plans for Action (LAPAs) in 2011, and committed to ensuring that at least...
31 August 2017
As part of the activities to encourage transformational proposals to the Green Climate Fund’s Enhanced Direct Access (EDA) modality, Anju Sharma held a series of meeting with staff the National Bank...
08 August 2017
The 2017 ecbi Regional Training Workshop for Francophone Africa took place on 8 & 9 June 2017 in Dakar, Senegal. The workshop, organised in collaboration with ecbi’s regional partner Energie...
10 June 2017
The 2017 ecbi Regional Training Workshop for Anglophone Africa took place on 5 & 6 June 2017 in Dakar, Senegal. The workshop, organised in collaboration with ecbi’s regional partner Energie...
09 June 2017
On 20 June, the ecbi Director presented the Oxford Crowdfunding for Adaptation Initiative to participants of the Berlin Green Investment Summit, organised by Wermuth Asset Management on behalf of...
05 June 2017
Are we doing enough to address climate change? Are countries living up to their promises? Transparency is key for answering these questions. This ecbi Pocket Guide traces the evolution of...
02 June 2017
The 2017 ecbi Bonn Seminar took place on 14 May 2017, at La Redoute, Bonn. It was attended by 55 negotiators from developed and developing countries, including heads of key national and regional...
17 May 2017
With the Training and Support Programme fully back on track with four training workshops, four bursaries, and support to negotiators; six seminars organised by the Fellowship Programme; and numerous...
15 May 2017
On 1-2 May 2017, a number of UNFCCC Agriculture Negotiators and resource persons from technical organizations came together at Wolfson College, Oxford for an informal exchange of views around the...
05 May 2017
A dialogue with stakeholders on Enhanced Direct Access (EDA) was organised in Kathmandu, Nepal, by Oxford Climate Policy, Prakriti Research Centre and Helvetas on 24 March 2017. The three...
05 April 2017
On the evening of 14 March 2017, the ecbi convened a seminar on resource mobilisation for the Adaptation Fund at La Redoute in Bad Godesberg, Germany. The seminar was co-hosted by Michael Kracht,...
16 March 2017
An ecbi Finance Circle meeting took place on 8 November 2016, during the 22nd Conference of Parties (COP 22) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. It was attended by 15 negotiators from...
11 November 2016
The 2016 ecbi Pre-COP Workshop took place on 5 November 2016, at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Marrakech.
06 November 2016
The 2016 European Capacity Building Initiative (ecbi) Training and Support Programme Workshop for Anglophone Africa was held on 14-15 September 2016 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
30 October 2016
by Mizan Khan, Ambuj Sagar, Saleemul Huq and Penda Kante Thiam The Paris Agreement’s capacity building provisions can be regarded as foundational for all other institutions, mechanisms and processes...
28 October 2016
By Harro van Asselt, Romain Weikmans, Timmons Roberts and Achaea Abeysinghe. One of the key elements of the Paris Agreement is its “enhanced transparency framework”, set out in Article 13. This paper...
24 October 2016
by Christian Holz and Xolisa Ngwadla The global stocktake, established in Article 14 of the Paris Agreement, is a central component of the provisions that are intended to raise ambition over time...
24 October 2016
by Benito Müller, with Alexandra Kornilova, Ritika Tewari, and Carsten Warnecke Predictability of multilateral climate finance is a key concern for developing countries, as a prerequisite for longer-...
24 October 2016
The Paris Agreement was adopted on 12 December 2015, at the 21st Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris. This Guide summarizes its key provisions. It is...
14 October 2016
The 2016 ecbi Seminar took place in the Oxford Union on 1-2 September 2016, following the Fellows Colloquium from 29-31 August 2016. It was attended by 19 participants from developing countries, and...
02 September 2016
The 2016 ecbi Training and Support Programme Workshop for Francophone Africa took place on 15 and 16 June 2016 in Dakar, Senegal. The workshop, organised in collaboration with ecbi’s regional partner...
01 June 2016
The 2016 ecbi Bonn Seminar took place on 22 May 2016 in the Altes Rathaus, Bonn. It was attended by 34 participants, who discussed climate finance post-Paris, the ambition mechanism included in the...
30 May 2016
A Regional Workshop for South and Southeast Asia was organized on 14 & 15 April 2016. It was attended by 16 representatives of governments from the region. Many of the participants had recently...
17 April 2016
Dhaka, Bangladesh, 13 April 2016. Over 20 key stakeholders in climate finance from Bangladesh attended this ecbi dinner discussion hosted by ecbi member International Centre for Climate Change and...
16 April 2016
The Paris Agreement was adopted on 12 December 2015, at the 21st Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris. This Guide summarizes its key provisions. It is...
14 April 2016
This ecbi Policy Brief by Benito Müller, based on OCP/ecbi Discussion Note with contributions by Harro van Asselt, Cristina Carreiras, and Kaveh Guilanpour, looks at how to enhance mitigation...
19 March 2016
The outcome of the 2016 Paris Conference on climate change must be seen in the context of the long-haul effort over 25 years, starting with the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de...
01 March 2016
by Laurel Murray, with Benito Müller and Luis Gomez-Echeverri This brief history of Enhanced Direct Access traces the idea back to a number of historic precursors, such as the Kreditanstalt für...
19 December 2015
Dear Benito, As developing country Co-chair of the ecbi Advisory Committee and as Head of the Gambian delegation at COP 21 it gives me great pleasure to send you this letter of appreciation for the...
17 December 2015
OCP and the ecbi warmly welcome today’s announcement by M. Philippe Couillard, Premier of Quebec, to contribute six million Canadian dollars to the UN Least Developed Countries Fund. As the first...
03 December 2015
The ecbi Training and Support Programme and IIED organised a Pre-COP Training Workshop for LDC negotiators in Paris, France on 28 November 2015 in advance of the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) to...
29 November 2015
We are extremely pleased to be able to congratulate Dr Achala Abeysinghe (IIED), the Head of the ecbi Training and Support Programme, for having been listed with Christiana Figueres and Mary Robinson...
22 November 2015
This new blog and submission to the GCF Board by Benito Müller argues that it is imperative that the recently launched GCF strategic planning process focus not only on strategic objectives and the...
17 November 2015
Developed country climate finance is generally regarded as quid pro quo for developing country mitigation action, and vice versa. In the Copenhagen Accord, for example, developed countries commit...
03 October 2015
The eleventh ecbi Oxford Seminar was held on 10 & 11 September 2015 at Trinity College and the Examination Schools in Oxford, UK. A three-day Fellowship Colloquium took place before the Seminar,...
07 September 2015
An informal roundtable consultation with senior government officials on Consolidation and Devolution of Climate Finance in India took place at the India International Centre, New Delhi, India, on 7...
20 August 2015
The first, and possibly most momentous decision to be adopted on the final day of the tenth Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board meeting (Songdo, 9 July 2015) was the launch of a five year pilot phase on...
11 July 2015
On 5 July 2015, the eve of the tenth meeting of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the ecbi hosted a Seminar for GCF Board members on how to address Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the...
07 July 2015
In December, negotiators will converge on Paris to forge a new international climate change agreement for 2020 and beyond. This policy brief is about one of the preconditions for a success at Paris:...
30 June 2015
In December 2014 in Lima, Peru, the COP requested the Standing Committee on Finance in Decision 6/CP.20, paragraph 22 to consider issues related to possible future institutional linkages and...
27 June 2015
The 2015 ecbi Bonn Seminar took place at the Altes Rathaus in Bonn, Germany, on the afternoon of 7 June. The Seminar was attended by 25 negotiators and representatives from developing countries and...
24 June 2015
The Report describes the accomplishments of the ecbi in the FY2014/15. For one, the 2014 Oxford Fellowships and Seminar resulted in an OCP/ecbi Concept Note on a ‘Dynamic Contribution Cycle’ which...
14 June 2015
Having been established more than a decade ago to address the urgent and immediate needs of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) especially vulnerable to the impact of climate change, the Least...
02 June 2015
This OCP/ecbi submission to the Standing Committee on Finance summarizes the most recent developments regarding the relations between the Adaptation Fund and the Green Climate Fund and proposes that...
20 April 2015
A great deal of confusion has resulted from the fact that it has hitherto not been possible for the GCF Board to agree on definitions for some of the key nouns referred to in the GCF Governing...
12 April 2015
Following up on the discussion on the The Future of the Adaptation Funding and the Adaptation Fund co-organised with the Heinrich Boell Foundation during COP 20 in Lima, the ecbi with the support of...
10 April 2015
National and international finance is increasingly becoming available in developing countries to address climate change for both mitigation and adaptation. However, existing (domestic) arrangements...
19 March 2015
On 5 March, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Secretariat published a Board Paper and Draft Decision on ‘Additional Modalities that Further Enhance Direct Access: Terms of Reference for a Pilot Phase,’...
06 March 2015
On 11 February, in the marginss of the ADP Geneva session, ecbi Executive Committee members met senior members of the African Group of Negotiators (AGN), including the AGN chair Nagmeldin Elhassan,...
11 February 2015
What is the future of adaptation financing under a new global climate agreement and beyond the UNFCCC? What role will an actor such as the Kyoto Protocol Adaptation Fund, which strengthened country...
10 December 2014
The ecbi Training and Support Programme and IIED organised a Pre-COP Training Workshop for LDC negotiators at the Los Girasoles Hotel in Lima, Peru, on 30 November 2014, in advance of the 20th...
01 December 2014
Envoys go back to boarding school in effort to build understanding ahead of proposed 2015 climate deal. Interview by Sophie Yeo (RTCC) with Benito Müller (Director ecbi) on the ecbi Oxford...
19 November 2014
On 6 November 2014, the Government of Brazil officially submitted the Views of Brazil on the Elements of the New Agreement under the Convention applicable to all Parties to the UN climate change...
17 November 2014
In their Scenario Note on the sixth part of the second session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP), the ADP Co-chairs emphasized that “it is essential to use...
18 October 2014
On Monday 13 October, the ecbi GCFB Caucus convened a discussion meeting on Enhanced Direct Access for Members and Alternates attending the eighth meeting of the Green Climate Fund Board in...
12 October 2014
At the recent Climate Summit in New York, the Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli announced that "China will work hard to promote South-South cooperation on climate change. I wish to announce here that...
24 September 2014
The 2014 ecbi Oxford Seminar took place on 28 and 29 August 2014 in the University of Oxford Examination Schools. The ecbi celebrated its tenth anniversary during the Seminar. A three-day Fellowship...
05 September 2014
The 2014 ecbi Bonn Seminar took place at the Altes Rathaus in Bonn, Germany, on the afternoon of 9 June. The Seminar was attended by over 45 negotiators and representatives from developing countries...
09 June 2014
Mr Pa Ousman Jarju, Co-chair of the ecbi Advisory Committee and former Special Envoy on Climate Change, has been appointed Minister for Environment, Climate Change, Water Resources and Parks &...
07 June 2014
A new ecbi Legal Note by Charlotte Streck and David Rossati explores the options for establishing such a Southern Solidarity Fund as a separate, ring-fenced funding entity operated by the GCF.
28 May 2014
A new ecbi Legal Note by Wouter Geldhof, Tom Ruys, and Benito Müller which considers the legal options for creating such a space for Quantified Emission Limitation and Reduction Obligations (QELROs)...
27 May 2014
ecbi and CDKN have produced three briefing notes that summarise three of the greatest issues of concern for LDCs: differentiated responsibilities for climate mitigation; monitoring, reporting and...
20 May 2014
A Note from Benito Müller in response to CDKN’s Working Paper on Supporting international climate negotiators: Lessons from CDKN. The paper includes CDKN’s theoretical approach to ‘amplifying the...
12 May 2014
This Concept Note by Benito Müller introduces the idea of a Southern Solidarity Fund, to be operated by the Green Climate Fund, which would allow solidarity contributions to climate finance by...
09 April 2014
This Rough Guide to Enhanced Direct Access (EDA) by Benito Müller provides the key conceptual tools needed to understand EDA and exemplifies the main access models graphically with a number of...
02 April 2014
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board is in the process of considering "additional modalities that further enhance direct access". A devolved and decentralized access modality has been proposed as an...
02 April 2014
On 17 February 2014, the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia, host to the sixth meeting of the Green Climate Fund Board GCFB, convened a pre-GCF Board Meeting Luncheon Discussion on “...
18 February 2014
Whether or not the regime emerging from the current negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will be based on an explicit cost/burden sharing formula, the debate...
30 January 2014
Sida funded an independent evaluation of ecbi for its 2011-2013 activities and found that the ecbi has achieved its overall outcomes as outlined in the report. The ecbi was found to fulfil a need not...
27 January 2014
The Green Climate Fund is at a crossroads where it must choose between the traditional centralized or a novel devolved decision making model. The next meeting of the GCF in February will be key as it...
17 January 2014
A meeting of the ecbi Finance Circle was held on 13 November at COP 19 in Warsaw. There were 26 participants from Algeria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Botswana, the DRC, the EU, France, the Gambia, Germany...
13 November 2013
On the eve of the fifth meeting of the Green Climate Fund Board in Paris, the ecbi organised an informal discussion meeting for Board members and advisers interested in the topics of resource...
06 October 2013
A negotiators workshop on the legal issues and challenges related to climate change was held in Bangladesh on September 22nd 2013. Organised by the Centre for Climate Justice-Bangladesh (CCJ-B) in...
23 September 2013
On September 20th 2013, ecbi with support from GIZ Bangladesh and Bangladesh’s Ministry of Environment and Forests hosted a two day training workshop for Asian LDC climate change negotiators in Dhaka...
21 September 2013
A proposal based on the recent ecbi Policy Brief Crowdfunding for Climate Change: A new source of funding for climate action at the local level? has won the Popular Choice Award in the 2013 MIT...
12 September 2013
The 2013 ecbi Fellowship Colloquium took place from 5-7 August in Merton College, Oxford, followed by the Oxford Seminar on 8 and 9 August. During the Fellowship Colloquium, 17 senior negotiators...
12 August 2013
The 2013 Bonn Seminar took place on 9 June 2013 at the Altes Rathaus, Bonn Germany. Over 35 participants from developing and european countries attended, to discuss the work of the Standing Committee...
09 June 2013
This month, the first Forum of the Standing Committee on Finance was held in Barcelona. Present were Konrad von Ritter and Diann Black-Layne who presented the draft of the new ecbi policy brief '...
28 May 2013
The 2012/13 ecbi Annual Report highlights our efforts over the past year to strengthen capacity and trust between North-South, and South-South positions in the emerging climate change regime...
22 May 2013
This paper includes a systematic review of the reports filed to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2012 of the nations that promised to provide this US$ 30 billion in FSF over...
13 April 2013
A new climate agreement is expected to be negotiated by 2015 under the climate convention's Ad-Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP), or Durban Platform. The Platform...
29 March 2013
On March 11th, the Finance Circle met in Berlin attended by the two SCF Co-chairs (Antigua & Barbuda, and Switzerland), four SCF members (Australia, Belgium, Norway, and US), a GCFB alternate...
22 March 2013
This ecbi Policy Brief by Benito Müller & Lavan Mahadeva serves as summary for policy makers of a technical report by the same authors published by the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies,...
01 March 2013
A meeting of the Finance Circle took place on December 4, 2012, during the second week of COP 18 at Doha. The meeting was shortened to accommodate participantsí schedule commitments in the...
04 December 2012
On the 6th of September 2012, two years and one week after it was conceived during the 2010 ecbi Fellowships in Oxford, the Standing Committee had its formal inaugurating meeting in Bangkok, Thailand...
17 September 2012
On 22 August 2012, the Green Climate Fund Board formally held its constitutive meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. Following a tradition established by the ecbi in the context of the Adaptation Fund...
16 September 2012
The eight annual round of the ecbi Oxford Fellowships and Seminar took place from 8-14 July 2012, and was attended by 12 Fellows from developing countries (LDC, AOSIS, ALBA, Africa, BASIC) and 14...
16 July 2012
On 19 May 2012 the ecbi Finance Circle held a meeting during the UNFCCC Climate change Conference in Bonn, Germany. The discussions focused on two key areas: long-term finance and the work programme...
23 May 2012
On 20 May 2012, the seventh annual ecbi Bonn Seminar was held in the Altes Rathaus of Bonn Germany. The discussion focused on CBDR/RC and equity on the ADP, the future of the Kyoto Protocol (...
23 May 2012
The 2011/12 ecbi Annual Report highlights our efforts over the past year to strengthen capacity and trust between North-South, and South-South positions in the emerging climate change regime. This is...
18 April 2012
Africa Group Negotiators (AGN) met in Paris, France on 29th and 30th March 2012 to discuss the outcomes of the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on...
30 March 2012
ecbi organized a Finance Circle meeting on 30 November 2011 in Durban, South Africa. Ten participants from the US, Venezuela, Georgia, Switzerland, Cuba, Ireland, Germany, Ireland, and the European...
19 December 2011
Least developed country (LDC) coordinators, core team members and advisors met in Durban, South Africa, on 26th November 2011 to discuss the LDC strategy in advance of the 17th Conference of the...
28 November 2011
It is with the deepest sadness and shock that we have learned of the untimely passing of Mama Konaté, former Co-Chair of the ecbi Steering Committee. Mama was Chair of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Body for...
14 November 2011
The 2011 regional workshop for East and Southern African and South Asian countries took place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from 31 October to 1 November. It was attended by roughly 30 negotiators and...
01 November 2011
Held in Geneva on 10 September 2011 in conjunction with the third meeting of the Transitional Committee, the ecbi Finance Circle meeting was attended by 24 participants from developed and developing...
21 September 2011
At the 2011 ecbi Fellowship and Seminar held in early September, senior developing country negotiators and their European colleagues discussed the importance of a mutually agreeable action 'sequence...
15 September 2011
The 2011 regional workshop for West Africa took place in Dakar, Senegal from 18th-19th August. It was attended by around thirty negotiators, parliamentarians, and representatives from line Ministries...
19 August 2011
At Cancún, the COP decided to establish a Standing Committee to assist it in exercising its functions with respect to the Financial Mechanism of the Convention. But it left open how exactly this...
12 August 2011
Attending members of the Transitional Committee discussed the merits and demerits of 'thematic windows" under the Green Climate Fund (GCF) at the second meeting of the ecbi Finance Circle. Held on 13...
18 July 2011
The sixth ecbi Bonn Seminar was held in June, 2011. There they discussed the importance of ownership - over the process of designing the Green Climate Fund; the form and function of the Steering...
01 July 2011
This ecbi Annual Report summarises an important period in the history of the UN climate negotiations, including the run-up and aftermath of the Copenhagen Conference; and preparations for the...
01 June 2011
The UNFCCC Transitional Committee for designing the Green Climate Fund met for its inaugural session in Mexico City on 28-9 April 2011. On the first evening 26 members of the TC and the ecbi Finance...
01 May 2011
The ecbi Finance Circle held a meeting on Monday 4 April during the AWG session in Bangkok. There were 21 participants from Australia, Cuba, DR Congo, Egypt, European Commission, Georgia, Germany,...
05 April 2011
The ecbi is pleased to be able to publish an independent evaluation of its Phase II (2008-10) activities, together with a Report on the overall outcomes and impacts it achieved through its activities...
01 February 2011
The fifth ecbi Finance Circle took place on Monday 11 November in the offices of the EU Presidency at the Moon Palace conference centre with 20 participants from 14 delegations (Australia, Belgium/EU...
22 December 2010
On 27th of November, the ecbi held its eighth Pre-COP workshop for African LDC Negotiators in Cancún, Mexico attended by 18 delegates representing Benin, Burundi, DRC, Ethiopia, Guinea, Lesotho, Mali...
27 November 2010
On 26th of November, the ecbi held its first Pre-COP workshop for South and South East Asian Negotiators in Cancún, Mexico attended by 20 delegates representing Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives,...
26 November 2010
This ecbi Policy Brief by Benito Müller looks at whether the progress and momentum of the LCA finance negotiations in Tianjin could be harnessed to bring about a successful outcome at Cancún, and...
02 November 2010
David Ciplet, Benito Müller, and J. Timmons Roberts address the question of whether it is possible to give some estimate of how many people it would need to manage the sorts of sums currently talked...
29 October 2010
Luis Gomez-Echeverri presents a new report on National Funding Entities (NFEs) in the lead-up to Cancún this December. National Funding Entities have sprung up in twelve countries, with more...
21 October 2010
After attending the Tianjin climate change conference, the ecbi director visited Beijing on the invitation of Councillor Yi Xianliang (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ecbi Fellow) where he had talks...
19 October 2010
On 7 October, the ecbi Finance Circle held its fourth meeting during the climate change conference in Tianjin, China, attended by delegates from 15 Parties. Farrukh Khan gave a brief presentation on...
07 October 2010
The annual ecbi Fellowships and Oxford Seminar was held between August 25-31st amongst the distinguished colleges of Oxford University, UK. The Fellowships and Oxford Seminar form the core of the...
31 August 2010
The third meeting of the ecbi Finance Circle was held on August 2nd 2010 at the Hotel Maritim in Bonn attended by eighteen negotiators from thirteen countries. The meeting began with a short...
02 August 2010
The francophone regional workshop for the countries of West Africa was held in Dakar, Senegal, in July 2010. It proved to be the largest group held for the ecbi, with more than 45 participants...
07 July 2010
The Dakar Resolution came from the ecbi West Africa Regional Workshop, held in July 2010, Senegal. It was prepared and signed by the Honourable parliamentarians who attended the workshop. The English...
07 July 2010
On June 6th 2010, the second meeting of the Finance Circle was held in Bonn, Germany. Twenty-one participants attended including those from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, DRC, EC, Egypt,...
21 June 2010
The ecbi Bonn Seminar was held in June 2010 at La Redoute in Bonn/Bad Godesberg.
06 June 2010
The ecbi Annual Report summarises activities undertaken in the period April 2009 to March 2010, carried out by the Fellowship Programme and the Workshop Programme of the ecbi, as well as common...
01 June 2010
The legal format of the outcome of the current twin-track negotiations is one of the most pressing problems to be resolved in the run-up to the next UN climate change conference in Cancún, Mexico...
07 May 2010
On 24 and 25 March of this year, the ecbi Workshop Programme helped facilitate a national-level workshop in Abuja, Nigeria, for government officials involved in the international climate change...
24 March 2010
On the 23 March 2010 the ecbi organized a dinner discussion for members of the Adaptation Fund Board that met for the 9th time in Bonn, Germany. At the 9th meeting of the AF Board, first National...
23 March 2010
The second ecbi workshop was held in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, from the 7th to the 9th of February of 2010, at the Guembe ecological sanctuary. Participants from twelve Latin American countries came...
07 February 2010
Co-hosted by the World Economic Forum Climate Change Initiative and the European Capacity Building Initiative, the dinner brought together a small group of climate negotiators, public and private...
04 November 2009
'This year the ecbi Oxford Fellowships were housed in Magdalen College Oxford, from 30st August to 5th September 2009, with participation from Brazil, China, the Gambia, India, Indonesia, Kenya,...
03 November 2009
Based on the proceedings of the ecbi meeting on 9 August 2009 at La Redoute in Bonn, a new ecbi Policy Brief concerning Key Issues on Governance of Climate Change Finance has been published, together...
18 September 2009
The 2009 ecbi Regional Workshop for East and Southern Africa in Ethiopia was held at Addis Ababa Hilton hotel from 18 to 20 August. The workshop was attended by participants from Botswana, Comoros,...
18 August 2009
The first ecbi Regional Workshop for Latin America was held at the Plaza Hotel in La Paz, Bolivia, from 17 to 19 of August. The workshop was attended by participants from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile,...
16 August 2009
Les travaux de l'atelier régional 2009 de renforcement des capacités sur les changements climatiques pour les pays francophones d'Afrique de l'ouest se sont déroulés du 21 au 23 juillet 2009 - Dakar...
21 July 2009
Suite - l'exemple très réussi de la taxe de solidarité du Groupe pilote francais afin de lutter contre le VIH/SIDA, le Groupe des PMA propose une taxe de solidarité en faveur de l'adaptation sur les...
03 July 2009
Le consensus sur une action visant aborder les changements climatiques repose sur le principe des responsabilites communes mais differences et sur les obligations et engagements enumeres - Article 4...
03 July 2009
This ecbi Policy Brief is based on the presentations and discussion at the 2009 round of the annual ecbi Bonn Seminars held on 7 June 2009 at La Redoute in Bonn/Bad Godesberg, during the sixth...
07 June 2009
The ecbi Annual report summarizes activities undertaken in period April 2008 to March2009, carried out by the Fellowship Programme and the Workshop Programme of the ecbi. This report is divided into...
24 May 2009
International Air Passenger Adaptation Levy (IAPAL): A proposal by the Group of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) within the framework of the Bali Action Plan, submitted to the UNFCCC AWC-LCA on 12...
05 May 2009
Two policy briefs detailing, on the one hand the history of the current financial mechanism, and suggesting, on the other a Reformed Financial Mechanism for the post Copenhagen period by Benito...
24 April 2009
Preparing for the seventh session of the AWG-KP and fifth session of the AWG-LCA taking place from Sunday 29 March to Wednesday 8 April 2009 in Bonn, the ecbi gathered together a number of delegates...
25 March 2009
The Adaptation Fund Board have met for the fifth time in Bonn Germany, March 24-27, 2009. The ecbi, hosted a first Chairs’s Dinner attended by a number of Board members from developing and developed...
23 March 2009
On behalf of the Adaptation Fund Board, Mr. Muyungi, expresses his appreciation for the support the ecbi has given him as Chair of the Adaptation Fund Board, and the Board in general, over the past...
25 February 2009
15th of December 2008. The ecbi Fellowship Programme organised a dinner for a number of developing country and European Board members as part of the ecbi trust building activities on the evening of...
15 December 2008
The ecbi brought together UN climate change delegates from 12 countries to strengthen the capacity of Least Developed Countries to negotiate and implement the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol and to...
28 November 2008
Les travaux de l'atelier régional 2008 de renforcement des capacités sur les changements climatiques pour les pays francophones d'Afrique de l'Ouest se sont déroulés du 28 au 30 octobre 2008 -...
28 October 2008
Delegates from Botswana, Comoros, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, Zambia participated in this 3 day workshop held from the 23 to 25 of September 2008 in...
26 September 2008
The ecbi Oxford Seminar (part of the ecbi Fellowships) is an annual three day event where senior developing country UN climate change negotiators meet their European colleagues to discuss key issues...
05 September 2008
The Fellowships began with the Fellowship Colloquium (1–3 Sept) for Fellows and invited experts only, where the Fellows were given a chance to exchange views among themselves, to discuss issues...
03 September 2008
Delegates from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam participated in this 3 day workshop held from the 12 to 14 of August 2008 in Male. The Workshop was organized...
12 August 2008
16th of June 2008. The ecbi Fellowship Programme organised a final dinner for all of developing country and European Board members as part of the ecbi trust building activities on the evening of the...
16 June 2008
On the 8th June 2008, the ecbi Fellowship Programme held the third Bonn Seminar gathering together 56 delegates, during the intersessional meeting of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies in Bonn, Germany to...
08 June 2008
The ecbi was launched in May 2005 during the 22nd Meeting of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies(SB) in Bonn. This is its third annual report. The impact of the ecbi on the international negotiations,...
05 June 2008
On the evening of the first day of the first meeting of the Adaptation Fund Board (26-28 March, Bonn/Germany), the ecbi Fellowship Programme organised a dinner for a number of developing country and...
26 March 2008
Taking the time to get the governance structure of the Adaptation Fund right will be worth it in the long term, say five Oxford Fellows for 2007 - Enele Sopoaga (Tuvalu), Lydia Greyling (South Africa...
31 December 2007
The ecbi brought together UN climate change delegates from 22 countries to strengthen the capacity of Least Developed Countries to negotiate and implement the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol and to...
30 December 2007
On the 5 December 2007 ecbi is organizing a side event at COP13, Bali, Indonesia, in the EU Pavilion, Nusa dua Beach Hotel, from 15:30-17:30. The event will showcase the work of the ecbi carried out...
21 November 2007
The Regional Workshop for South and Southeast Asia in Thailand brought together 22 delegates from several Asian countries to engage in a number of trust-building activities as well as ensuring a...
31 October 2007
The francophone regional workshop for the countries of West Africa was held in Dakar (Senegal) from 15 to 17 October 2007. The workshop brought together the focal points to the United Nations...
17 October 2007
The ecbi Regional Workshop for Eastern and Southern Africa in Bagomoyo brought together delegates from Botswana, the Comoros, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia...
26 September 2007
The ECBI Oxford Fellowships 2007 brought together 14 Fellows, Senior Fellows, and Supernumerary Fellows from Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, China, Gabon, Guinea, Kenya, Mexico, South Africa, Tuvalu...
04 September 2007
Fellows from Burkina Faso, Gabon, Guinea along with ecbi Director have visited French govenment agencies in Paris on 31 August 2007. The meeting was facilitated by Mr. Nicolas Lambert from the French...
31 August 2007
ecbi Prospectus (revised August 2007): The guide to ecbi Phase II (2008-12) activities, available now for download as a PDF.
21 August 2007
On 13 May 2007, the ecbi Fellowship Programme held the second Bonn Seminar during the intersessional meeting of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies in Bonn, Germany to maintaining and strengthening the...
03 July 2007
Last year we held a successful series of regional workshops for climate change negtiators from least developed countries countries in: (i) Eastern and Southern Africa in Naivasha, Kenya, (ii) Western...
20 June 2007
"...the ecbi institutions are the only ones that are implementing items (other than the NAPA Preparation) of the LDC Work Program under Article 4.9, particularly strengthening the negotiation skills...
11 June 2007
ecbi Policy Analysis Report by Dr. Balgis Osman Elasha, Climate Change Unit, Higher Council for Environment& Natural Resources (HCENR) Khartoum, Sudan, and Dr Thomas E. Downing, Stockholm...
08 May 2007
"the ecbi is judged to be a very good, effective programme. It fills a void and is innovative in its approach to both senior and junior negotiators"
07 May 2007
Unless a combination of all the success factors can be achieved, ASEAN countries will be able to attract some CDM niche investment but not be able to play in the CDM ‘champions’ league’
30 April 2007
The decision to adopt a ‘one-country-one-vote’ procedure for the Adaptation Fund could help secure political acceptance, but only if augmented by the right to force a secret vote.
25 January 2007
A Global Carbon Levy for Climate Change Adaptation "We need a global carbon levy to fund these obligations in line with the ‘polluter pays’ principle." -Moritz Leuenberger, President of the Swiss...
06 December 2006
The ecbi will hold a public side event at the EU Pavilion on its opening day (Tuesday 7 November), Time: 15:15h - 16:45h Room 2 List of speakers and topics:
07 November 2006
Three ecbi Fellows, Amjad Abdullah (Maldives), Bubu Pateh Jallow (The Gambia)and Mohammad Reazuddin (Bangladesh) have written an Opinion Piece on Operationalising the Kyoto Protocol's Adaptation Fund...
26 October 2006
L'an 2006, du 10 au 12 octobre se sont déroulés dans les locaux de l'hotel OLYMPE, - Bamako (MALI) les travaux de l'atelier régional de renforcement des capacités sur les changements climatiques des...
17 October 2006
'The proposal should be used as starting point for the debate on how airlines can be made responsible for their emissions'; it is an innovative way of thinking, exploring new ways of supporting the...
16 October 2006
Despite efforts to establish necessary institutional structures, few CDM projects are taking place in Africa. The 2006 ecbi Regional Workshop for Eastern and Southern Africa suggested ways to improve...
28 September 2006
The 2006 ecbi Oxford Fellows agree on a proposal to give the COP/MOP direct control of the Adaptation Fund, and ensure effective representation of countries’ interests.
20 September 2006
The participants of the 2006 ecbi Regional Workshop for South and Southeast Asia call for different rules for the governance of the Adaptation Fund, which is based on mandatory private sector...
12 August 2006
Following its launch on 23 May 2005 during the 22nd Meeting of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies (SB) in Bonn, the ecbi has organised the Oxford Fellowships under the Fellowship Programme, a number of...
06 June 2006
ecbi funds the participation of senior delegates to participate in a Seminar and the intersessional UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies meetings in Bonn. In the first year of the scheme, five Bursaries were...
30 May 2006
In May 2006, the ECBI’s Oxford Fellowship Programme organised two capacity- and trust-building activities linked to the intersessional meeting of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies in Bonn, Germany: the...
21 May 2006
Following informal consultations, Co-Chair Mamadou Honadia introduced a draft decision stating that Parties “approve and adopt” the compliance mechanism as contained in Decision 24/CP.7. The text...
09 December 2005
On Friday 2 December 2005, a special event was organised in the EU Pavilion at COP11/MOP1 in Montreal, Canada, to present an overview of ecbi activities in the first six months since its inception.
30 November 2005
Participants highlighted the need to assess the lessons learned through the NAPA process and find ways to integrate climate change issues into national and sectoral policy and practice during the...
06 November 2005
The need for a review of CDM performance in Africa dominated discussions at the first ecbi Regional Workshop for Eastern and Southern Africa, held from 18 to 21 October 2005.
23 October 2005
Following a request for information regarding North-South trust building activities from the floor at the high-level panel of the Development and Adaptation Days during the recent Montreal Climate...
03 October 2005
Rich discussions on post-2012 negotiations, CDM, mainstreaming, and impacts and adaptation characterised the pilot round of the ecbi Oxford Fellowships, which took place in Oxford from 18 to 30...
20 September 2005
ecbi was officially launched at the 22nd meeting of the Subsidiary Bodies to the UNFCCC, in May 2005.
06 May 2005