The first Global Stocktake (GST) of the Paris Agreement was designed to be a milestone in global climate governance—an exercise that would not only spur ambition by assessing collective progress but also engage a wide range of actors and knowledge holders. Yet questions remain about how inclusive the process truly was, whose voices shaped the outcome, and how countries are now using the GST in their climate planning after the conclusion of the first GST.

This AHCD research seminar brings together two strands of ongoing research of a SNIS-funded research project of the University of Geneva. The first examines inclusivity and power in the GST process, exploring which forms of participation were enabled, which barriers persisted, and how different actors—particularly those with fewer resources or less recognised forms of expertise—experienced the technical and political phases. The second strand investigates what happens after the GST: What does it mean for a country to “take the GST into account”? Is it used as a genuine source of guidance, a political reference point, or simply a formal requirement? Drawing on our observations and interviews conducted at COP30, we explore how governments are interpreting and responding to the GST’s signals. 

The session will conclude with an interactive discussion on how these findings inform the next cycle of the GST and what a more inclusive, influential stocktake could look like. 

Refreshments will be served from noon at the Fab for registered participants.

Bios:  

• Kari De Pryck is Lecturer at the Institute for Environmental Sciences. She holds a PhD in political science from the University of Geneva and Sciences Po Paris. Before joining the University of Geneva, she was affiliated with the University of Cambridge (2019-2021), the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam (2021) and the University of Grenoble Alpes (2022).
• Niklas Wagner is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Geneva, working on global climate governance with a focus on the Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement. He holds a PhD in Knowledge Sociology from the University of Bonn, an MPhil in Environmental Policy from the University of Cambridge, and a bachelor's in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the Free University of Amsterdam.