Bonn Climate Change Conference Overview

The annual Bonn Climate Change Conference commenced on June 16, gathering over 5,000 delegates in Bonn, Germany, to address diverse climate issues, notably the mobilization of finance to combat climate change.

About the Bonn Climate Change Conference

•  The conference is a mid-year meeting under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), an international agreement from 1992 that guides climate negotiations. 
•  Formally called the Sessions of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies (SBs), it is one of the regular climate summits hosted by the UNFCCC besides the annual Conference of the Parties (COP). 
•  Attendees include SB members, indigenous representatives, international organizations, scientists, and civil society representatives. 

Conference Objectives

The conference focuses on discussing the technical and scientific aspects of climate negotiations and setting the agenda for the COP, typically held in November. Outcomes in Bonn significantly influence COP decisions.

•  The Bonn Conference discusses the implementation of agreements from the previous COP. 

Key Players

•  Led by the SBs of the UNFCCC, namely the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA). 
•  SBI assists in assessing and reviewing implementation decisions and supports discussions on financial and technical support to developing countries. 
•  SBSTA provides scientific advice, linking climate science knowledge from the IPCC with policymaking at the COPs. 

This Year’s Agenda

One of the major discussion topics is the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), which aims to establish a common global objective for adaptation. Though introduced in the Paris Agreement in 2015, significant progress occurred only by COP28 in Dubai with a framework for defining adaptation goals.