The project established a framework agreement with a range of legal and technical suppliers to support the Chair of the Least Developed Country (LDC) negotiating group in the UN climate change process.

The key outputs of the work were:

1) Legal and technical support to inform and interpret LDC Group’s policy and negotiating positions including:

• Production of written technical briefing / informative documents (e.g. policy briefs and legal dossier).
• Provision of interpretation of negotiation texts to LDC chair and / or delegation.
• Provision of technical input to formal submissions or papers in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiation process, and;
• Provision of real time advice on the UNFCCC negotiations to the Chair of the LDC group and relevant members of the LDC group.

2) Training and capacity building to support the LDC negotiation teams including:

• Provision of technical and legal training courses on various topics (e.g. legal, technical, and process aspects of the negotiations, negotiation techniques), and;
• Dissemination activities to circulate technical or legal briefing documents to LDC chair, delegations, and / or relevant individuals (e.g. presentation at workshops, facilitation of plenary / group sessions to present the information, distribution via email, uploading documents on websites).

3) Participation in the negotiations and key group meetings including:

• Attendance and representation at a greater number of relevant, UNFCCC meetings, and / or more attendance and representation at a relevant UNFCCC meetings, and;
• Facilitation of networking between LDC group chair and relevant members from other groups and country delegations.

4) Facilitate the LDC Group’s strategic planning before and during the UNFCCC negotiation process including:

• Written and / or oral advice provided to the LDC chair and delegation before, during, and after UNFCCC negotiation process e.g. Conference of the Parties (COPs), inter-sessionals, parallel negotiation tracks.

The key outcomes from the project included:

1. Increased understanding by the LDC group chair and delegates of UNFCCC finance mechanisms, Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMAs), mitigation, market mechanisms, roadmaps, the science behind the UNFCCC negotiation, and the legal and technical aspects of the UNFCCC negotiation process.
2. Increased profile of the LDC group chair and delegates at negotiation meeting.
3. Increased influence of LDC group chair and delegates at negotiation meetings or other sessions in the negotiation process.
4. LDC group chair and delegates are better able to respond to developments in the negotiation process, and;
5. LDC group chair and delegates have a clearer, better aligned strategic plan that allows them to form more strategic and relevant alliances with other negotiating parties in the negotiation process.

Contract value for the period 24 February 2012 – 31 March 2012 was £25,116.

Support to the LDC Group has been continued under project references BEIS-0002 and BEIS-0003