Before COP 21

The need for engagement and action by all levels of society, public and private, was recognized early in the UNFCCC process—Parties’ attention to public participation, technologies and use of markets and mechanisms are just a few examples of this recognition. However, there are few prominent milestones that marked the path of non-Party stakeholders to a place in the Paris Agreement.

In 2014, building on a platform for enhanced action established in Durban at COP 18, then-UN-Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon convened world leaders and diverse climate stakeholders in New York to motivate for concerted global climate action.

A few weeks later at COP 20 in Lima, governments established the Lima-Paris Action Agenda to demonstrate the commitment of non-state actors and forge a coalition of actors towards the goal of limiting global temperature rise through short-term and long-term actions that support a new legal agreement.

The Action Agenda involved both state and non-state actors (national governments, cities, regions and other sub national entities, international organizations, civil society, indigenous peoples, women, youth, academic institutions, as well as businesses) acting as individual entities or in partnerships. It aimed to accelerate actions in the pre-2020 period and afterwards.

A joint undertaking of the Peruvian and French COP presidencies, the Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the UNFCCC Secretariat, the Lima-Paris Action Agenda strengthened climate action throughout 2015 and in Paris in December of that year in several ways:

• Mobilized robust global action towards low carbon and resilient societies;
• Provided enhanced support to existing initiatives, such as those launched during the Secretary-General’s Climate Summit in September 2014; and
• Mobilized new partners and provided a platform for the visibility of their actions, commitments and results in the run up to COP21.

COP 21

At COP 21 in Paris in 2015, it was agreed that mobilizing stronger and more ambitious climate action by all Parties and non-Party stakeholders was urgently required to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.

In decision 1/CP.21, the commitments from all actors are recognized, including those launched through the Lima–Paris Action Agenda, as well as the urgent need to scale up the global response to climate change and support greater ambition from governments.
 
Parties also recognized the value of having climate champions to ensure a durable connection between the Convention and the many voluntary and collaborative actions. In Paris they decided that two high-level champions shall be appointed representing the current COP Presidency and the incoming COP Presidency, turning into practice an initiative that saw climate champions from Peru, France and Morocco help pave the way for success in Paris.

Post COP 21

Since adoption of the Paris Agreement, global climate action has been encouraged and facilitated under the banner of the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action, which was agreed in Morocco at COP 22 and acknowledged at subsequent Conferences of the Parties. The Partnership brings together in stakeholders working in key sectors and themes to spur enhanced climate ambition and action, and then recognizes that action, to inspire sill greater effort.