UNJournal Lee Sung Jun | Government representatives from around the world gather each year at international conferences to negotiate the global response to climate change, shaping the priorities countries pursue in reducing emissions and building resilience to climate impacts. Reaching agreement on mitigation and adaptation priorities, however, remains difficult, as countries approach the talks with differing needs based on their level of development, economic structure and vulnerability to climate impacts.

Countries also do not hold equal political influence in these negotiations. Developing countries often send smaller delegations due to limited financial resources, making it harder to track the dozens of issues under discussion simultaneously. A lack of national resources can also limit capacity-building for negotiators, leaving them at a disadvantage in increasingly technical discussions. According to the UN Development Programme (UNDP), such constraints make it more difficult for developing countries, particularly those on the frontlines of the climate crisis, to bring their priorities to the table and shape outcomes.

Since 2018, UNDP's Progressive Platforms for Climate Action initiative, funded by the European Union, Denmark and Norway, has worked with negotiating groups from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, small island developing states (SIDS) and least developed countries (LDCs) to strengthen their role in international climate talks. The programme identifies three areas as central to increasing developing countries' influence at the negotiating table: preparation, alliance-building, and inclusive participation.

Preparation and technical expertise

According to UNDP, better-prepared negotiators are better positioned to shape outcomes, bringing evidence-based proposals into technical discussions and keeping talks focused on issues critical to their countries. The organization has provided training and technical resources to delegates from developing countries across a range of negotiation topics.

Among the initiatives cited, UNDP supported the Independent Association of Latin America and the Caribbean (AILAC) in producing 31 position papers and 16 thematic reports covering climate finance, adaptation, gender equality and technology, among other issues, to help delegates arrive at negotiations with clear, evidence-based positions. UNDP also assisted the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) in hosting an event on energy resilience in small island states ahead of major negotiations on energy and climate mitigation.

Building alliances

UNDP also points to alliance-building as a key factor in advancing shared priorities, noting that negotiators from the same region or with similar characteristics, such as SIDS or LDCs, often coordinate around common positions. Through regional dialogues and technical meetings, the initiative has brought negotiators together to exchange views and develop joint strategies. In 2025, heads of delegation from Latin America and the Caribbean took part in the Cartagena Dialogue ahead of COP30 to discuss shared priorities on mitigation, adaptation and access to climate finance.

The organization noted that many agreements among delegates take shape informally, in conversations on the sidelines of official sessions. In 2025, UNDP supported more than 49 representatives from negotiating groups to participate in over 35 international climate events, helping them build relationships and sustain engagement in discussions where key decisions were made.

Inclusive participation

UNDP also highlighted the participation of women, youth, Indigenous Peoples and other underrepresented groups as important to producing stronger negotiation outcomes. In 2025, women made up between 60 and 75 percent of participants in UNDP-supported workshops, coordination meetings and technical discussions.

UNDP also supported AILAC and the Least Developed Countries Group in holding coordination meetings on gender and climate change ahead of COP30, where countries adopted the Belém Gender Action Plan.

To support the next generation of negotiators, the African Group of Negotiators (AGN), with UNDP support, brought together 58 young and new negotiators for a three-day workshop in 2025 aimed at strengthening their skills for participating in climate negotiations. The AGN also developed a new training manual intended to support future African climate negotiators.

UNDP said that as climate impacts intensify alongside other challenges facing developing countries, strengthening their technical expertise, alliance-building capacity and inclusive participation remains central to helping negotiators translate participation into meaningful influence over international climate outcomes.

The Progressive Platforms for Climate Action initiative is supported by the European Union, Denmark, Norway and UNDP's Climate Promise, working with negotiating groups including the African Group of Negotiators, AILAC, AOSIS and the Least Developed Countries Group. Technical and policy support is also provided by Climate Analytics, the Global Green Growth Institute, the International Institute for Environment and Development, the High Ambition Coalition (supported by Independent Diplomat), and the International Centre for Climate Change and Development.