Discussion Forum 2: Scenario Exercise
Strategy: Coordinating with Regional and Global Blocs
Coordinating with regional and global blocs allows developing countries to move from fragmented, individual bargaining to collective power, addressing equity, efficiency, and sustainability in climate finance more effectively.
Equity
Acting as a bloc strengthens the ability of vulnerable countries to demand fairer allocation of climate finance based on need, vulnerability, and historical responsibility rather than political influence. Collective negotiation helps ensure that funding frameworks prioritize least developed countries, smallholder farmers, Indigenous communities, and climate-exposed populations. Shared positions also reduce power imbalances with wealthier nations, making it harder for equity concerns such as loss and damage and non-economic losses to be sidelined.
Efficiency
Regional coordination improves efficiency by pooling expertise, data, and administrative capacity, which lowers transaction costs and reduces duplication across countries. Blocs can develop common standards for project design, monitoring, and reporting, improving transparency and reducing mismanagement. Joint proposals and regional financing mechanisms also increase donor confidence, allowing limited funds to be deployed at scale and with measurable outcomes.
Sustainability
A bloc-based approach supports sustainability by promoting long-term, regionally aligned climate strategies rather than isolated, short-term projects. Shared ecosystems (such as river basins, forests, and coastal zones) can be managed cooperatively, enhancing environmental resilience. Financially, coordinated access to climate finance encourages predictable funding streams, supports debt relief mechanisms, and enables investments that build lasting institutional capacity, reducing long-term dependency on external aid.
To conclude
By coordinating through regional and global blocs, developing countries can transform climate finance negotiations into a collective, equitable, and strategic process one that delivers fair benefits to vulnerable populations, uses resources efficiently, and supports durable climate resilience.