CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES (COP)

COP, or the Conference of the Parties, is an integral part of the process of negotiation and governance in the context of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

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The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the main decision-making body of the UNFCCC, an annual meeting where representatives of member countries meet to discuss, negotiate and take decisions on the implementation of the convention and global action to combat climate change.

 

The most important agreements and protocols signed within the context of COP include:

 

• The Kyoto Protocol (1997) which set binding greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets for industrialised countries for the period 2008-2012. It was the first global treaty on binding emissions reductions;

 

• The Paris Agreement (2015) adopted during COP21. This is one of the most significant agreements. Key objectives include limiting the increase in global average temperature to well below +2°C above pre-industrial levels, and pursue efforts to limit the increase to +1.5°C.

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