COP stands for Conference of the Parties, and is the United Nations' annual conference on climate change, held each year in a different host city. Since the first COP was held in Berlin in 1995, the COPs have provided an opportunity to review the progress made by the Parties (the signatory countries) and to assess the progress achieved. It is also where negotiations are held on the measures needed to continue reducing emissions. They are an essential tool for assessing the progress made to date and defining the results to be aimed for in order to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
The COP has three main components: negotiations, exhibitions and side events. The host country appoints a COP President to oversee the negotiations. The negotiations are the main part of the event: the first week is generally devoted to technical negotiations led by government representatives, while the second week focuses more on high-level ministerial meetings and meetings of heads of state.
The next COP (COP30) will be held from 10 to 21 November 2025 in Belém, Brazil. Luxembourg's climate negotiators will be taking part in the COP and will be arguing in favour of an ambitious approach to climate mitigation and adaptation, as well as climate financing for the most vulnerable nations.
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