Yamin and Depledge (2004) argue that the UNFCCC regime is characterised by
formal and informal coalitions, alliances, and political groups. Blaxekjær and
Nielsen (2014) have demonstrated how new groups since COP15 have transformed
the narrative positions and negotiations space in the UNFCCC, creating bridges
as well as new trenches between North and South in relation to the principle
of Common But Differentiated Responsibility. As the UNFCCC regime readjusts
after COP21, these new narrative positions and negotiations space should be
re-examined. Through original data such as official statements from groups,
observations at UN climate conferences (2011-2015), and interviews with
delegates and experts, the paper analyses the narrative position of the Like
Minded group of Developing Countries (LMDC), an influential political group
under the UNFCCC established in 2012. Following Blaxekjær and Nielsen’s (2014)
policy-oriented narrative approach to IR the paper analyses LMDC’s identity,
the problems identified by LMDC and the solutions to these problems, and the
paper identifies five central characteristics of the dominant LMDC narrative.
The analysis also touches upon what narrative techniques are used in
constructing the LMDC identity. This framework reveals the embeddedness of
narratives in practice as they unfold in the formation of new alliances and
ruptures in old ones. This paper contributes to the emerging Narrative in IR
research agenda with a policy-oriented model of analysis. The paper also
contributes to the broader research agenda on the post-Paris UNFCCC regime,
and argues that as long as CBDR/RC is a major unresolved issue – an
essentially contested concept – as long will the LMDC play a prominent role in
the UNFCCC regime
