To lay the ground for these meetings and make the best use of the limited negotiation time, the UNFCCC Secretariat is often tasked with collecting stakeholders’ views ahead of time. Some of these calls for submission are open only to parties, but many are also open to other stakeholders. This means academics, civil society organizations, private sector entities, and youth and Indigenous Peoples’ groups, among others, can submit their views on various issues relating to the climate negotiations. They can propose topics for workshops and dialogues, provide feedback on the effectiveness of specific work programmes, highlight gaps that should be addressed, and point to resources that might help governments and others enhance their climate action.
The UNFCCC Submissions Tracker raises awareness about these input opportunities. The embedded spreadsheet tracks opportunities by subject and deadline while providing broader context and suggestions on which stakeholders may be especially interested.