Every year, countries who have joined the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meet to measure progress and negotiate multilateral responses to climate change. Today there are 198 Parties to the Convention. The UNFCCC is a multilateral treaty adopted in 1992 – shortly after the first assessment report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1990 – to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations "at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic (human-induced) interference with the climate system.” Since entering into force in 1994, the UNFCCC has provided the basis for international climate negotiations, including landmark agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol (1997) and the Paris Agreement (2015).
The first Conference of the Parties (COP) was held in Berlin, Germany, in 1995. 28th COP was held at the end of 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It included the first Global Stocktake, where States assessed the progress made towards the goals set in the Paris Agreement and charted a course of action. COP29 will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November 2024. The host country of the COP normally rotates among the five United Nations regional groups (Africa, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, Latin American and the Caribbean, and Western European and Others), with regional group members determining which country from their region will make an offer to host the conference.
COPs have created global milestones for the climate movement, setting standards and advancing action, including on reducing carbon emissions, accelerating a global energy transition, and helping countries adapt and build resilience to compounding climate issues. COPs are crucial in bringing governments together while also mobilizing the private sector, civil society, industry and individuals to tackle the climate crisis.