COP28 refers to the “28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change” (UNFCCC). It is an annual summit that brings together representatives from the countries that have signed the UNFCCC to negotiate and discuss global climate policy, with the aim of mitigating climate change. COP28 is scheduled to take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and will continue the efforts of previous conferences to implement and enhance commitments made under the Paris Agreement and other international climate accords. The “COP” meetings are critical platforms for assessing progress, setting new goals, and mobilizing action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit global warming.
The term “COP” stands for “Conference of the Parties.” It is used because the meeting is a conference that includes all the countries or “parties” that have ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which is an international environmental treaty. The “parties” refer to the sovereign states and the European Union, which have agreed to be bound by the treaty and its subsequent agreements, such as the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement.
The COP serves as the supreme decision-making body of the UNFCCC and meets annually to assess progress in dealing with climate change and to establish legally binding obligations for developed countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The number that follows “COP” simply indicates the sequence of the meetings since the convention’s inception in 1992.