According to the Responding to Climate Change website, representatives from Bangladesh, Kenya, Nepal, Papua-New Guinea, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe are working with pro bono legal service the Legal Response Initiative (LRI) on a programme which organisers hope will make a future climate change agreement fairer for developing nations.

International concepts

Christoph Schwarte, executive director of LRI, said that the difference in negotiators is ‘like comparing Premier League and First Division players’, adding that while developing nations do have lawyers with great expertise in national law, they may not be familiar with international concepts.
Richard Dyton, a partner at London law firm Simmons & Simmons – which is hosting the event – said that in order for these nations to receive a ‘fair deal’ they cannot allow their negotiators to be ‘outgunned’ by industrialised nations’ slick legal teams.