FAQs about the COP, Conference of the Parties

1. What is a COP, when and how did it originate?

The COP, Conference of the Parties, is the supreme body of the UNFCCC, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The COP is the highest authority on climate matters, the summit with the highest hierarchy, the one that makes decisions on climate matters.

The COP is made up of 196 countries plus the European Union, called “the Parties”, therefore, it is made up of 197 Parties. The COP conferences are held every year, since 1995, in a different city, although the country may repeat years later, as is the case of Poland, which has already hosted the COP three times in different cities.

The COP is identified by the number of years of the Conference, thus the number in which the Paris Agreement was presented was the 21st Conference of the Parties, hence its name COP21. Since its creation, no COP had been postponed until COP26 had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year (2022) is COP27, to be held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, between November 7 and 18, 2022.

Recommended reading: Brief history of the COPs