Abstract:

Enhancing capacity building in developing countries is an important prerequisite for global climate change actions. In the negotiating process of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the capacity-building issue has been slow to move forward. Since the capacity-building framework for developing countries was identified at the seventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP7), there has been no substantive progress in the development of capacity-building mechanisms. At the Paris Conference on Climate Change (COP21), the Parties unanimously adopted the Paris Agreement. For the first time, the Paris Agreement authorized the establishment of the Paris Capacity Building Committee (PCCB) through Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI). It will fully coordinate capacity-building support for developing countries and will oversee the 2016?2020 workplan for capacity-building to comprehensively and systematically promote and enhance capacity-building activities in developing countries to tackle climate change. In addition, the Paris Agreement also agreed to establish the Transparency Capacity-Building Initiative (CBIT) to strengthen the institutional and technical capacity around 2020. Subsequently, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) established the CBIT Trust Fund for the Initiative. Thus, a relatively complete international mechanism has been established on the issue of capacity-building under the Convention. Negotiations on future issues will move towards pragmatism and detail. As the global response to climate change is stepping into a new stage, China’s capacity-building issues in the negotiations should also be adjusted accordingly.

Key words: capacity building, Paris Agreement, institutional arrangement, Paris Capacity Building Committee (PCCB)