Parties

Each Party to the Convention is represented at sessions of the Convention bodies by a national delegation consisting of one or more officials who are empowered to represent, and negotiate on behalf of, their government.

Based on the tradition of the UN, Parties are organized into five regional groups, mainly for the purposes of electing the Bureaux. These groups are: Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC) and the Western Europe and Others Group (WEOG). (The "others" in WEOG include Australia, Canada, Iceland, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and the US, but not Japan, which is in the Asian Group).

The five regional groups, however, are not usually used to present the substantive interests of Parties and several other groupings are more important to the climate negotiations.

Developing countries generally work through the Group of 77 and China to establish common negotiating positions on issues of interest to them, such as finance and technology transfer. The G-77 was founded in 1964 in the context of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and now functions throughout the UN system, comprising some 132 developing country members. The country holding the Chair of the G-77 and China in New York (which rotates every year) often speaks for the Group as a whole. However, because the G-77 and China is a diverse group with differing interests on climate change issues, individual developing countries also intervene in debates, as do groups within the G-77, such as the African Group and AOSIS.

The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) is a coalition of some 43 low-lying and small island countries, most of which are members of the G-77, that are particularly vulnerable to sea-level rise. The AOSIS countries are united by the threat that climate change poses to their survival, and frequently adopt a common stance in negotiations. They were the first to propose a draft text during the Kyoto Protocol negotiations, calling for cuts in carbon dioxide emissions of 20% from 1990 levels by 2005.

The 15 members of the European Union meet in private to agree on common positions for the negotiations. The country that holds the EU Presidency - a position that rotates every six months - then speaks for the group as a whole. As a regional economic integration organization, the European Community itself can be, and is, a Party to the Convention. However, it does not have a separate vote from its members.

The "JUSSCANNZ" group is a coalition of the non-EU developed countries, which acts as an information-sharing and discussion forum. JUSSCANNZ stands for Japan, the US, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, Norway and New Zealand. Iceland, Mexico, the Republic of Korea and other invited countries may also attend meetings.

The "Umbrella Group" is a variation on the JUSSCANNZ coalition. Although there is no formal list, the Group is usually made up of the JUSSCANNZ members including Iceland, plus the Russian Federation and Ukraine, but without Switzerland. This informal group emerged following the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol, and works together mostly on the Protocol's mechanisms, especially emissions trading.

Several other groups also work together in the climate change process, including the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the Arab Group.

States that are not Parties to the Convention (of which there are now only a few) may attend sessions of the COP and subsidiary bodies as observers.

Observers

Several categories of observer organizations also attend sessions of the COP and its subsidiary bodies. These include: Representatives of the United Nations secretariat units and bodies (e.g. UNEP and UNCTAD), as well as its specialized agencies and related organizations (e.g. WMO); Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), such as the OECD and its International Energy Agency (IEA); and Non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Observer delegates routinely outnumber State representatives at sessions of the Convention bodies.

Currently, almost 400 non-governmental organizations and about 35 intergovernmental organizations are accredited. In order to be accredited as observers, non-governmental organizations must be legally constituted entities, "not for profit", and competent in matters related to the Convention. A broad spectrum of NGOs represent different interests, including environmental groups, business and industry associations, local governments and municipal authorities, research and academic institutes, parliamentarians, labour organizations and religious bodies. Three main constituency groupings have emerged to facilitate interaction: Environmental groups; Business and industry associations; and Local governments and municipal authorities.

Observers may attend meetings of the Convention bodies (COP, SBSTA and SBI meetings) without the right to vote, unless at least one-third of Parties object. At COP 4, it was formally decided to allow observers to attend open-ended contact groups, subject to the same proviso. However, the contact group Chairman may close the group to observers at any time. Informal closed meetings are not open to observers. Observers may make interventions during meetings, subject to the approval of the Chairman. An opportunity is also extended to NGOs to address the COP and subsidiary bodies in plenary meetings. These statements are encouraged to be on behalf of a broad constituency.

Limited logistical support is made available to the NGO constituencies during meetings. A tradition of "special events" and "exhibits" has developed on the margins of the official meetings. These are mainly organised by the NGO community and provide a forum for the exchange of information between observers, Party delegates, UN bodies and agencies, and IGOs. The special events, including workshops and seminars, allow for interaction between the various players in the Convention process and provide a forum for civil society to voice its concerns and ideas to Parties and the media. The exhibits provide participants with a variety of climate related information, including new technologies, scientific information on climate change, activities related to climate change mitigation or adaptation, project results, videos, and a host of other related materials. At COP 5 there were over 145 special events and 50 exhibits.

Media

Accredited representatives of the media may also attend sessions of the Convention bodies as observers. The number of media representatives varies, depending on the profile of the session; at COP 3, for example, some 3,500 media representatives were present to cover the final stages of the Kyoto Protocol negotiations, while only 530 or so attended COP 5. A high media presence is expected for COP 6.