2023 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 28)

The 2023 UN Climate Change Conference will convene from 30 November to 12 December 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). It will comprise:

• the 28th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 28);
• the fifth meeting of the COP serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA 5);
• the 18th meeting of the COP serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 18);
• the 59th meeting of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI 59); and
• the 59th meeting of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 59). 

In a letter dated 13 January 2023, the UNFCCC Secretariat announced that Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change, has been appointed to serve as COP 28 President-Designate.

The COP 27 Egyptian Presidency and the Incoming COP 28 Presidency are convening informal consultations to engage governments at the ministerial, Head-of-Delegation, and technical levels to lay the groundwork “to deliver a successful COP 28 that drives global transformation towards a low-emission and climate-resilient world, fosters ambitious climate action and facilitates implementation, including the related support”.

The first Global Stocktake of the implementation of the Paris Agreement will conclude at COP 28. Each stocktake is a two-year process that happens every five years, with the aim of assessing the world’s collective progress towards achieving its climate goals. The first Global Stocktake takes place at the mid-point in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its SDGs, including Goal 13 (climate action). It will be preceded by a mandated workshop on the elements of the outcome of the GST in October in the UAE.

In a letter to parties dated July 2023, the Incoming Presidency announced that COP 28 will focus on four paradigm shifts:

• Fast-tracking the energy transition and slashing emissions before 2030;
• Transforming climate finance, by delivering on old promises and setting the framework for a new deal on finance;
• Putting nature, people, lives, and livelihoods at the heart of climate action; and
• Mobilizing for the most inclusive COP ever.

The letter also outlines a three-fold vision to course correct that includes a negotiated outcome, an action agenda, and a call to action.

Read Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) coverage of international climate negotiations here.

Read SDG Knowledge Hub story about COP 27 outcomes here.