Representatives from New Zealand and 27 other countries are in the Maldives to try and advance international climate change negotiations.
The group of middle-ranking nations formed a new forum called the Cartagena Dialogue after the Copenhagen summit last year failed to reach a conclusive deal.
The meeting does not include not the biggest greenhouse gas emitters, China and the United States.
New Zealand's International Climate Change Negotiations Minister, Tim Groser, says the big two have been left out deliberately to see how much agreement can be found among countries in the next tier.
He says the discussions are mainly about the role of developing countries in reducing emissions and how carbon markets will work.
