BharatNotes What is Conference of Parties (COP)?
The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the supreme decision-making body of an international convention — the assembly of all States that have ratified that treaty. While the term applies to several multilateral environmental agreements (the Convention on Biological Diversity and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification each hold their own COPs), in popular usage "COP" refers to the apex body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The UNFCCC was adopted at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and entered into force on 21 March 1994. It now has 198 Parties (197 States plus the European Union, the lone regional economic integration organisation). At each COP, Parties review national communications and emission inventories, assess collective progress towards the Convention's objective, and adopt decisions on institutional, financial and administrative arrangements.
Key features and structure
| Body | Serves as meeting of Parties to | Operating since |
|---|---|---|
| COP | UNFCCC (1992) | COP1, Berlin, March 1995 |
| CMP | Kyoto Protocol (1997) | 2005 |
| CMA | Paris Agreement (2015) | 2016 |
The COP meets annually unless Parties decide otherwise. Since 2005 the same gathering also convenes the CMP (for Kyoto Protocol matters), and since 2016 the CMA (for Paris Agreement matters). Decisions are generally taken by consensus rather than majority vote.
Landmark outcomes
- COP3 (Kyoto, 1997) — the Kyoto Protocol set legally binding emission-reduction targets for developed countries.
- COP21 (Paris, 2015) — the Paris Agreement, with the goal of limiting warming to well below 2°C and pursuing 1.5°C, built on nationally determined contributions (NDCs).
- COP28 (Dubai, 2023) — the first Global Stocktake under the Paris Agreement.
Current status (2025-26)
COP29 (Baku, Azerbaijan, 2024) agreed a New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance, with developed nations to channel "at least" USD 300 billion a year by 2035 to developing countries (tripling the earlier USD 100 billion goal), alongside a wider aspiration to mobilise USD 1.3 trillion annually by 2035.
COP30 (Belem, Brazil, November 2025) concluded on 22 November 2025 with a call to triple adaptation finance for developing nations by 2035 and confirmation of the loss and damage fund, though Parties could not agree on formal fossil-fuel phase-out language.
COP31 is scheduled for Antalya, Turkiye, 9-20 November 2026, in a first-of-its-kind arrangement where Turkiye hosts while Australia leads the negotiations, with a Pacific focus.
UPSC angle
COP is a recurring environment and IR theme. For Prelims, memorise host cities, the COP/CMP/CMA distinction, and key agreements. For Mains (GS3, GS2), use COP to discuss India's climate diplomacy, common-but-differentiated responsibilities (CBDR-RC), equity in climate finance, and the credibility gap between pledges and delivery. Cross-link with the Paris Agreement, NDCs and the Global Stocktake.
