A ruling negotiated at the first Conference of the Parties (CoP 1), which took place in March, 1995, concluding that the present commitments under the Framework Convention on Climate Change are not adequate. Under the Framework Convention, developed countries pledged to take measures aimed at returning their greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000. The Berlin Mandate establishes a process that would enable the Parties to take appropriate action for the period beyond 2000, including a strengthening of developed country commitments, through the adoption of a protocol or other legal instruments.

a proposal in 1994 to make greenhouse-gas emission reductions mandatory.

The decision by a 1995 United Nations climate conference in Berlin to seek commitments beyond the 1992 Rio agreement, under which developed nations volunteered to limit greenhouse emissions. Precursor to the Kyoto talks.