THE SECRETARIAT UNFCCC

Secretariat staff vision

We support cooperative action by States to combat climate change and its impacts
on humanity and ecosystems. This is our contribution to a sustainable world and to
realizing the vision of peace, security and human dignity on which the United
Nations is founded.
Guided by the Parties to the Convention, we provide organizational support and
technical expertise to their negotiations and institutions and facilitate the flow of
authoritative information on the implementation of the Convention. We are
committed to performing these tasks to the highest standards of professionalism
and objectivity.
We strive to be a dynamic team, committed to the promotion of a participatory and
caring work environment. Our respect for each other and our blend of diverse
cultures, gender and backgrounds enrich and enhance our work.
UNFCCC is committed to:
 Making a contribution to sustainable development through support for action
to mitigate and to adapt to climate change at the global, regional and national
level.
 Providing high-quality support to the intergovernmental process in the context
of the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol.
 Creating and maintaining necessary conditions for an early, effective and
efficient implementation of the Kyoto Protocol.
 Providing and disseminating high-quality, understandable and reliable
information and data on climate change and on efforts to address it.
 Promoting and enhancing the active engagement of NGO's, business and
industry, the scientific community and other relevant stakeholders in our
work and processes, including through effective communication.
Creating and maintaining a caring working environment that is conducive to self-
actualization of staff, information sharing and teamwork and allows the delivery
of the highest quality products.
Historic Haus Carstanjen where the Marshall Plan was signed

PARTIES & OBSERVERS

Parties
The Convention divides countries into three main groups according to differing
commitments:
Annex I Parties include the industrialized countries that were members of the
OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) in 1992, plus
countries with economies in transition (the EIT Parties), including the Russian
Federation, the Baltic States, and several Central and Eastern European States.
Annex II Parties consist of the OECD members of Annex I, but not the EIT Parties.
They are required to provide financial resources to enable developing countries to
undertake emissions reduction activities under the Convention and to help them
adapt to adverse effects of climate change. In addition, they have to "take all
practicable steps" to promote the development and transfer of environmentally
friendly technologies to EIT Parties and developing countries. Funding provided by
Annex II Parties is channelled mostly through the Convention’s financial
mechanism.
Non-Annex I Parties are mostly developing countries. Certain groups of developing
countries are recognized by the Convention as being especially vulnerable to the
adverse impacts of climate change, including countries with low-lying coastal areas
and those prone to desertification and drought. Others (such as countries that rely
heavily on income from fossil fuel production and commerce) feel more vulnerable to
the potential economic impacts of climate change response measures. The
Convention emphasizes activities that promise to answer the special needs and
concerns of these vulnerable countries, such as investment, insurance and
technology transfer.
The 48 Parties, classified as Least Developed Countries (LDCs) by the United
Nations, are given special consideration under the Convention on account of their
limited capacity to respond to climate change and adapt to its adverse effects.
Parties are urged to take full account of the special situation of LDCs when
considering funding and technology-transfer activities.
Observer organizations
Several categories of observer organizations also attend sessions of the COP and its
subsidiary bodies. These include representatives of United Nations secretariat units
and bodies, such as UNDP, UNEP and UNCTAD, as well as its specialized agencies
and related organizations, such as the GEF and WMO/UNEP Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Observer organizations also include
intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), such as the OECD and its International
Energy agency (IEA), along with non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Since COP 11 and COP/MOP 1, over 750 NGOs and 56 IGOs are admitted as
observers. The NGOs represent a broad spectrum of interests, and embrace
representatives from business and industry, environmental groups, indigenous
populations, local governments and municipal authorities, research and academic
institutes, parliaments, labour unions, faith groups, women and youth.
Constituency groupings have emerged to facilitate interaction.

GLOBAL WARMING POTENTIALS

Global Warming Potential referenced to the updated decay response for the Bern
carbon cycle model and future CO2 atmospheric concentrations held constant at
current levels.
Source: Climate Change 1995, The Science of Climate Change: Summary for
Policymakers and Technical Summary of the Working Group I Report, page 22.

Chemical Lifetime Global Warming Potential

Species
formula (years) (Time Horizon)
20 years 100 years 500 years
CO2 CO2 variable § 1 1 1
Methane * CH4 12±3 56 21 6.5
Nitrous oxide N2O 120 280 310 170
HFC-23 CHF3 264 9100 11700 9800
HFC-32 CH2F2 5.6 2100 650 200
HFC-41 CH3F 3.7 490 150 45
HFC-43-10mee C5H2F10 17.1 3000 1300 400
HFC-125 C2HF5 32.6 4600 2800 920
HFC-134 C2H2F4 10.6 2900 1000 310
HFC-134a CH2FCF3 14.6 3400 1300 420
HFC-152a C2H4F2 1.5 460 140 42
HFC-143 C2H3F3 3.8 1000 300 94
HFC-143a C2H3F3 48.3 5000 3800 1400
HFC-227ea C3HF7 36.5 4300 2900 950
HFC-236fa C3H2F6 209 5100 6300 4700
HFC-245ca C3H3F5 6.6 1800 560 170
Sulphur hexafluoride SF6 3200 16300 23900 34900
Perfluoromethane CF4 50000 4400 6500 10000
Perfluoroethane C2F6 10000 6200 9200 14000
Perfluoropropane C3F8 2600 4800 7000 10100
Perfluorobutane C4F10 2600 4800 7000 10100
Perfluorocyclobutane c-C4F8 3200 6000 8700 12700
Perfluoropentane C5F12 4100 5100 7500 11000
Perfluorohexane C6F14 3200 5000 7400 10700

§ Derived from the Bern carbon cycle model.

* The GWP for methane includes indirect effects of tropospheric ozone production
and stratospheric water vapour production.