How the UNFCCC works
The Convention on Climate Change sets an overall framework for intergovernmental efforts to tackle the challenge posed by climate change. It recognises that the climate system is a shared resource that is affected by emissions from greenhouse gases resulting from human activity.
Decisions under the UNFCCC are made on the basis of consensus according to current operating practice. This means that, rather than voting, Parties aim to reach agreement through discussion and negotiation. The main negotiating forum is sessions of the Conference of the Parties (COP), which typically take place at ministerial level.
Parties also negotiate in the two subsidiary bodies of the UNFCCC, the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI). Other matters, such as the development of technical guidelines for implementing COP decisions, are dealt with at UNFCCC workshops.
The administration of the UNFCCC is the responsibility of a secretariat based in Bonn, Germany. The UNFCCC secretariat is institutionally linked to the United Nations and is administered under UN Rules and Regulations. It is answerable to the COP and the subsidiary bodies, and has responsibility in three areas: executive direction, technical programs and support services for the intergovernmental process.