The 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) plays a crucial role in global efforts to tackle the climate crisis. During annual Conferences of the Parties (COPs) and additional meetings, the international community gathers to advance climate policy and action. This report, written in the context of the Horizon Europe ENSURED project, investigates the effectiveness and democratic character of the COPs, focusing on four specific challenges and the potential for reform, namely: inequalities in party participation, involvement of non-party stakeholders, consensus vs. majority voting, and agenda streamlining. Overall, the report finds that options for reform are limited. While some smaller reforms are realistically achievable – such as streamlining agenda items and further capacity-building initiatives – larger reforms such as increasing non-party stakeholder engagement or moving to majority voting seem highly unlikely. The biggest stumbling block for any significant reform lies in the UNFCCC decision-making procedures, namely the requirement for consensus among the parties. This also limits the EU’s options in promoting substantial UNFCCC reforms.