Photo: Least Developed Countries Group
Every year, government representatives from around the world convene at international conferences to negotiate the world’s response to climate change. These talks help determine the priorities that countries will focus on in their effort to limit planet-warming emissions and to build their resilience to the climate change impacts.
However, reaching an agreement on what the mitigation and adaptation priorities should be is not easy. Discussions are inherently complex as countries have different needs and interests, based on their own national circumstances such as their level of socio-economic development, the structure of their economies and their specific vulnerabilities to climate change impacts.
At the same time, countries don’t wield the same level of political influence, impacting their negotiation strategies and leverage. For example, developing countries often have limited financial resources to send big delegations to participate in these negotiations. Small delegations face the unique challenge of having to keep up with the dozens of issues that are being discussed. Moreover, a lack of national resources can also translate into insufficient capacity-building for the negotiators, leaving them in a weaker position to fully participate in increasingly technical discussions. Such reasons make it much harder for developing countries to bring their priorities to the table and have a meaningful say in the outcomes.
Of course, the success of international climate conferences depends on all countries being heard and given the opportunity to influence final decisions. Especially those on the frontlines that are least responsible for the climate crisis yet bear the brunt of the impacts.
Through our Progressive Platforms for Climate Action initiative, funded by the European Union, Denmark and Norway, we have been helping developing countries navigate the complex world of climate negotiations since 2018. Working alongside negotiating groups from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs), UNDP has supported country delegates to influence international climate talks by building their technical expertise, advancing collective climate ambition and promoting inclusive leadership.
Here’s why these three actions are crucial to helping developing countries increase their influence at climate negotiations.
First, preparation is key. The more prepared negotiators are, the greater their ability to shape outcomes. They can bring new information into technical discussions, put forward evidenced-based solutions that have been proven to work and ensure the discussions stay focused on the critical issues affecting their countries. In the long run, they may become more influential, as others will start to lean on them for insights.
Through our work, we have provided access to trainings and hands-on resources covering a wide range of topics, facilitating delegates from developing countries to play a more active role in climate diplomacy.
For example, over the past few years, UNDP has supported the Independent Association of Latin America and the Caribbean (AILAC) to produce 31 position papers and 16 thematic reports on issues ranging from climate finance and climate adaptation to gender equality and technology, among others. These resources supported delegates to arrive at negotiations with clear positions and evidence-based proposals. Similarly, ahead of major negotiations on energy and climate mitigation, we assisted the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) to host an event on building energy resilience in SIDS, elevating the priorities of small island states and other vulnerable countries.
Second, building alliances and finding common ground make all the difference. At climate negotiations, moving an issue forward often means joining forces with others who share your concerns or have similar interests. Country delegates from the same region or from countries with similar characteristics—such as SIDS or LDCs—often work together around common priorities.
Through regional dialogues and technical meetings, we have brought such negotiators together to exchange views, identify shared priorities and develop common strategies that can be advanced on the global stage. For example, in 2025, heads of delegation from Latin America and the Caribbean joined the Cartagena Dialogue ahead of COP30 to discuss key climate issues as a group, including how to raise ambition on mitigation and adaptation and how to improve access to climate finance.
Building alliances becomes even more important once negotiations begin. Quite often, many of the agreements between delegates happen in conversations and meetings taking place on the sidelines of official discussions. In 2025, UNDP supported more than 49 representatives from negotiating groups to participate in over 35 international climate events, supporting them to build relationships and maintain momentum to continue engaging in discussions where key decisions were being made.
Third, the best decisions are made when everyone has a voice. When women, youth, Indigenous Peoples and other underrepresented groups take part in climate negotiations, the decisions taken are ultimately stronger because they respond to the needs of vulnerable communities and incorporate solutions put forward by the people on the frontlines.
In 2025, women extensively participated and attended our workshops, coordination meetings and technical discussions, often representing between 60-75 percent of participants. We also supported AILAC and the Least Developed Countries Group to hold coordination meetings on gender and climate change ahead of COP30, where countries adopted the Belém Gender Action Plan.
Making climate diplomacy more inclusive also means supporting the next generation of negotiators. In 2025, with UNDP support, the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) brought 58 young and new negotiators together in a three-day workshop to strengthen the skills and expertise needed to participate more effectively in climate negotiations. In addition, AGN developed a new training manual to help the next generation of African climate leaders influence climate diplomacy in the decades to come.
As the impacts of climate change continue to intensify, compounding the growing array of challenges that developing countries face, supporting their participation in climate diplomacy is more important than ever. But, as we’ve seen, to be successful, they need to wield more influence, strengthen their technical expertise, and increase their opportunities to build alliances with a diversity of voices. When skills in these three areas are strengthened, negotiators can turn their participation into influence, ambition into action, and their collective voices into meaningful change for people and communities around the world.
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Progressive Platforms for Climate Action is an initiative supported by the European Union, Denmark, Norway and UNDP’s Climate Promise to help key negotiating groups such as the African Group of Negotiators, the Independent Association of Latin America and the Caribbean, the Alliance of Small Island States, and the Least Developed Countries Group to strengthen their capacity to engage in the global climate arena.
A set of technical and policy partners—Climate Analytics, the Global Green Growth Institute, the International Institute for Environment and Development, the High Ambition Coalition supported by the Independent Diplomat and the International Centre for Climate Change and Development—supports them to strengthen their knowledge and influence.