How COPs are organized - Questions and answers

The main annual United Nations Climate Change Conferences attract a great deal of attention as the foremost global fora for discussions on climate change. They are often referred to simply as “COPs”. COPs have grown greatly in size and complexity over the past years and are subject to close public scrutiny. This Q&A answers some of the commonly asked questions about how COPs are organized.

What are COPs?

COPs are convened under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), a multilateral treaty adopted in 1992.

The meetings serve as the formal meetings of the Conference of the Parties - hence the acronym. COPs are where Parties (governments) assess global efforts to advance the key Paris Agreement aim of limiting global warming to as close as possible to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. Parties take decisions on ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions and on adapting to the impacts of climate change, on Loss and Damage (which refers to funding for vulnerable countries hit hard by floods, droughts and other climate disasters), and on the means to help countries green their economies and build resilience to climate change (finance, technology and capacity-building). An overview of the different negotiation bodies can be found here.

Why are COPs important?

COPs are crucial in the battle against climate change. They see governments come together to measure progress and negotiate the best ways to address climate change, while taking each other’s circumstances into account. COPs offer an opportunity to raise the level of attention to the threat of climate change, reflecting the fact that without the private sector, civil society, industry and individuals on board, the world will not be able to adequately tackle the climate crisis. There is no time to lose. As UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell said: “Every tenth of a degree global heating matters. Every year matters. Every choice matters. Every COP matters.”

Why are COPs so large?

The awareness of the impacts of climate change and the need for action has led to an exponential increase in the demand for participation from a wide spectrum of stakeholders. Having grown steadily over the past two decades, the conferences are now the largest annual meetings convened by the United Nations. Dignitaries and Heads of State and Government regularly attend as well as tens of thousands of government delegates and representatives of civil society, intergovernmental organizations, nongovernmental organizations and the media. At COPs, climate change leaders, experts and influencers come together to share their stories and solutions at panel discussions, exhibits, cultural events and hundreds of side events.

about-COPs

What is the role of the UN Climate Change Secretariat when it comes to organizing COPs?

In the increasingly complex global climate governance structure, the secretariat serves as custodian of the UN climate change process, protecting the integrity of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Paris Agreement and their related goals. Working hand in hand with the host of the Conference and the Presiding Officers nominated by governments, the secretariat’s main task during COPs is to efficiently manage the negotiations so that delegates are in the right place, at the right time, equipped with the necessary documents, with all the facilities that they require. Another key role of the secretariat is to engage non-Party actors during COPs by facilitating their engagement in formal work programmes and orchestrating multi-stakeholder dialogues. These actors include representatives of cities, regions, businesses, investors and civil society groups.

What is the role of the COP host government?

The host government provides premises and facilities, equipment, utilities and services for the COP. This includes translation services for all six working languages of the UN and making sure that facilities for media representatives are available. It also includes security for the COP outside of the core "blue zone" of the meeting, which is secured by UN staff. The host government also provides leadership on engaging governments and non-Party stakeholders to ensure a smooth preparation and delivery of successful COPs.

What is the role of the COP President?

At COPs, the COP President ensures the observance of rules of procedure and works with country delegations to reach consensus on key issues. The role of the incoming COP President – the COP President-designate - includes raising ambition to tackle climate change internationally. The Presidency works to develop effective international relationships with countries, institutions, businesses and stakeholders to achieve the necessary commitments in advance of and at COP. The role also includes developing a vision for the best possible outcome of the meeting.

How is the host country of the conference selected?

Regional group members hold consultations to determine which country from their region will make an offer to host a conference. The host country of the COP normally rotates among the five United Nations regional groups (The African Group, the Asia-Pacific Group, the Eastern Europe Group, the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC) and the Western European and Others Group (WEOG)). Once agreed, the country selected by the regional group to host the conference sends, through its regional group, its offer formally to the UNFCCC secretariat. The COP considers the offers and adopts a decision, usually titled “Dates and Venues of Future Sessions”, accepting the offer. The secretariat then undertakes a fact-finding mission to the prospective host country to determine that all “logistical, technical and financial elements for hosting the sessions are available” and reports back to the Bureau, early at the start of the year.

How is the COP President selected?

The regional group members of the host region hold consultations to agree on the representative of a country who will be nominated for election as President-designate. Once agreed, the chair of that regional group sends this information formally to the UNFCCC secretariat. At the opening of each COP, the candidate nominated is elected President.

Does UNFCCC have a conflict of interest policy relating to the selection of the President?

The UNFCCC does not have a conflict of interest policy, but it does have a Code of Conduct. In accordance with rule 22.3 of the draft rules of procedure of the UNFCCC Code of Conduct, “the President shall participate in the session in that capacity and shall not simultaneously exercise the rights of a representative of a Party.” These draft rules of procedure have not yet been adopted by the COP, but at each UN Climate Change Conference, governments consistently decide to continue to apply them. Further to this rule, it is improper for the President to involve himself or herself in an issue being discussed with regards to his or her country. But that does not necessarily mean that a presiding officer (the COP President is one of many presiding officers nominated by governments) must recuse himself or herself when an issue concerning his or her country is being discussed.

Are COP Presidencies and COP host countries always the same?

It is usually the country holding the COP Presidency that hosts the conference. However, if there is no offer to host, the default site is the seat of the secretariat in Bonn, Germany. In the case of several conferences a country that held the COP Presidency did not host the conference itself. For example, the Government of Fiji held the Presidency of COP 23 while the conference was held in Bonn for logistical reasons. Additionally, Chile retained the Presidency for COP 25 although the conference had to be relocated to Madrid, Spain, shortly before the conference was scheduled to take place.