Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of 21st century diplomacy and international governance. Given the many different stakeholders and communities who have roles to play, it is a contemporary challenge with regard to its demand on interdisciplinary knowledge, skills and languages, and the personal capacities needed to combine these so as to make diplomatic sense and success. Competing interests, political tensions, and challenges of the world today, such as the economic recession and competing development priorities, mean that negotiation deadlocks are rife and ways to overcome them are becoming more and more challenging to find.

This online course will develop participants’ understanding of the climate change policy framework, by building an appreciation of the science, causes and impacts of climate change, the history of the policy making process and the UNFCCC framework, and will also consider the pertinent challenges currently facing diplomats and international decision makers in making progress with what is currently on the negotiating table. The course will take a close look at the negotiations to-date and will consider the hot topics for negotiators as we move towards establishing a new global agreement on climate change by 2015.  The course will take a close look at gender in the negotiations and also the specific interests of parties who are most vulnerable to impacts of climate change.

At the end of this course, participants should be able to:


• Comprehend climate change science and the observed and projected impacts of climate change;

• Track and explain the international climate change policy framework, including the climate change negotiations to date under the UNFCCC;

• Define both climate change mitigation and adaptation;

• Appreciate international considerations for climate change decision-making;

• Appraise the key issues in the ongoing international climate change negotiations, understand what is on the negotiating table, and how to build and move forward from the outcomes of COP18.

The course fee is 800 USD. We highly encourage credit card payments. You will receive an invoice by email after registration.

Climate change negotiators from the poorest and most climate vulnerable countries are eligible to apply for a fee-waiver, with thanks to the CDKN Advocacy Fund. Those interested should send their letter of application and CV to ccdiplomacy@unitar.org

The registration deadline to apply for the Fellowship Programme is 6 September 2013

Registration will be closed as soon as the course is full and your place will be secured once your payment is confirmed.

For more Information, please consult the following link: HERE