What is COP28?

During the United Nations Earth Summit held in Rio in 1992, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was established. This provided a legal framework for international cooperation to combat climate change. COP stands for “Conference of Parties” and 28 stands for the meeting number. For example the COP meeting in 2024 will be called COP29.

At COPs, world leaders gather to work together on solutions to tackle climate change. There are now 198 Parties (197 countries plus the European Union).

The COP event includes two zones. The Blue zone and the Green zone.

The Blue Zone is a UNFCCC-managed site, open to accredited parties (country negotiators) and observer delegates (NGOs, IGOs, UN Agencies), media, and world leaders. The Blue Zone hosts formal negotiations across the two weeks of the conference, and hundreds of official side events, including panel discussions, speaking events, and cultural events.

The Green Zone is a space managed and delivered by the COP28 UAE Presidency. It offers a platform to non-accredited delegates, including youth groups, civil society, the private sector, and indigenous groups to have their voices heard, promoting dialogue and awareness about climate action.

Around each COP, a large number of "fringe" events are organized and held by individuals, businesses, and other organizations who have not been able to secure space to do so in the Blue or Green Zones, or who decide to host in their own spaces. These are not official events and are not directly aligned with the COP.