CDKN Advocacy Fund contracted UK sustainability consultancy Ricardo-AEA and the Multilateral Diplomacy Programme (MDP) of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) to carry out a 3 year programme of training and capacity building for climate change negotiators from the poorest and most climate vulnerable countries.

The objective of the programme of training was to enhance and strengthen the skills and knowledge of climate change negotiators so that they are better able to navigate international climate change processes and positively influence the outcomes of the climate change negotiations.

Specifically the overall objectives of this project were to:

• Support negotiators to better navigate international climate change processes, in particular the UNFCCC, and enhance and strengthen their participation, preparation and engagement in climate change negotiations.
• Provide training and capacity building activities that ensure a wide distribution of skills and knowledge that is sustainable in the longer term and seeks, in particular, to result in a deep understanding on issues most relevant to poorest and most climate vulnerable countries.
• Develop an evidence base to demonstrate the impact of this training and similar training exercises on the ability of the poorest and most climate vulnerable countries to participate and influence the negotiations.

The key activities under this project were:

• Training needs assessment: Carry out a high-level training needs assessment in order to inform the development of the training and capacity building programme.
• E-learning course: Design and deliver an online e-learning course on the basics of climate science, the climate change negotiations, the UNFCCC processes and negotiation skills to be available to the poorest and most vulnerable countries negotiators.
• Face to face training workshops: Design and deliver more in-depth face to face workshops on climate science, the climate change negotiations, the UNFCCC processes and negotiation skills to the poorest and most vulnerable countries negotiators.
• Train the trainers workshops: Design and deliver train the trainer workshops that will cover the skills and techniques needed to deliver training effectively, including sessions on presentation skills, understanding and appreciation of learning modes, and how to design, deliver, evaluate and assess training outcomes and impacts.

Ricardo-AEA and UNITAR also collected evidence of the impact of the training activities upon LDC countries negotiators and to what extent the activities meet the learning objectives. This lead to the publication of a working paper and a report.

CDKN funding: £175,000