Paper short abstract:

By reviewing the recent COP outcome documents, this paper aims to reevaluate the narrative of responsibility, and the role of Global South in establishing more equitable and effective approaches to addressing climate change and advancing sustainable development.

Paper long abstract:

The principle of 'responsibility' has been central to international development debates, particularly concerning the allocation of costs. This study scrutinizes the evolving understanding of responsibility and its impacts on policy dialogue and actions of the Global South within the Conference of the Parties (COP), the annual meetings held under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Focusing on COP 15 through the recent COP 27, the paper traces the concept of responsibility in the context of international development, accentuating the complexities that ensue in interconnected and asymmetrical burden-sharing dynamics between the Global North and South. Given that COP conferences serve as significant platforms for international cooperation and decision-making on climate change, it is essential to assess the leverage of the Global South within these donor-driven forums. Through discursive policy analysis, this paper explores how the concept of responsibility has been negotiated, contested, and redefined by the Global South, leading to new dynamics in environmental governance. We further examine the implications of these shifts for global climate negotiations, through a critical view of the role and agency of the Global South countries within successive COP meetings. By reviewing outcome documents, this paper aims to stimulate a reevaluation of the narrative of responsibility, and the role of Global South in establishing more equitable and effective approaches to addressing climate change and advancing sustainable development.