What is a Conference of the Parties (COP)?

What is a Conference of the Parties (COP)?

The annual United Nations conference dedicated to climate change, called the “Conference of the Parties” or “COP”, has been organized under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) since 1995. In 2015, at the 21st COP, also known as COP21, the Paris Agreement was signed.

The conference brings together all countries party to the Paris Agreement to discuss their next steps in the fight against climate change and to create legally binding agreements to support climate action. The next conference, COP28, will be held in December 2023 in the United Arab Emirates.