The Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the main international forum on climate action. The annual conference gathers governments, leaders, policymakers, CSOs, NGOs, and other stakeholders in a two-week Summit. This year, it will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan from 11-24 November, 2024. Topics we anticipate will be covered in discussions include adaptation and mitigation, climate finance, Loss and Damage, and the fossil fuel phase-out.

GCE’s presence at UNFCCC COP meetings has been consistent and growing with each year. At COP26 in Glasgow, GCE had one member in attendance at the conference and additionally acted as collaborators on three side events. GCE’s first full delegation of eight members was sent to COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, completing the first year that GCE had a dedicated COP team, and engaged in multiple on-site and virtual side events. COP28 marked the busiest GCE COP to date, where we co-organised six Blue Zone pavilion events and one UNFCCC side event in addition to having seven members in attendance in Dubai, UAE and two members participating virtually.

 

GCE’s COP29 team is split into three workstreams: Events, Partnerships, and Strategy. Each of these teams works on a different aspect of GCE’s COP engagement. Events will be organised across different fora, both virtually in the lead-up to COP29 and in-person at COP29 in Baku. Partnerships will bridge GCE partners, member organisations, and other contacts in COP initiatives and goals, to align our work and avoid duplication. The Strategy team will likewise craft the team’s strategic approach to COP and develop thematic focus areas where we will focus our advocacy. Among the team’s overarching goals are to coordinate the participation of GCE’s member organizations, conduct and complete our COP29 deliverables, and facilitate increased youth participation in decision-making on environmental and climatic issues at a global level.