Launched in December 2007 by the Swedish government and financed by the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the work of the RCC (Commission on Climate Change and Development) based on four objectives:
- Identify and analyze the determinants of poor countries’ commitment to a policy to reduce climate risks consistent with their development;
- Discuss how best to combine a long-term climate change mitigation with the immediate need to support adaptation measures in developing countries (Developing countries);
- Identify guidelines for international development cooperation in the areas of adaptation and reducing climate risk, taking into account the local and national perspectives in developing countries;
- Develop methodological proposals to better integrate climate component in development cooperation.

Led by Gunilla Carlsson, Minister for International Development Cooperation, was attended by 13 experts, including Wangari Maathai and Nanna Hvidt (DIIS, DK). The RCC has chosen to work on three vulnerable countries: Cambodia, the Mekong Delta, Mali, from a semi-arid climate, Bolivia, a country of high-altitude complex geography. On May 14 at UN headquarters, then in Brussels, May 19 and Stockholm, June 2, its main findings were as follows:
- The Commission has called on donor countries to honor their commitments under the Official Development Assistance (ODA). The ODA is required to meet the immediate needs arising from adaptation. Mechanisms “additional” should be set up to exceed the commitment of 0.7% of GDP;
- Allocation of resources must be adapted to the vulnerability of recipient countries to climate change and fund key priorities of national programs of action for adaptation to climate change;
- The time to develop new mechanisms that could delay key actions, a two step approach is recommended to mobilize funding “new and additional” to be used for adaptation in developing countries. A first step would be to mobilize 1 to $ 2 billion to help countries most vulnerable to low incomes who are already suffering the impacts of climate change.
- The minimum level of estimated needs for funding is from 5 to 15 billion additional dollars per year.