India pulls out of hosting COP33, but committed to climate goals: MEA

The MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said there were several issues that were taken into account, but "India remains fully committed to meeting its climate change commitments"

India has decided to pull out of hosting the United Nations annual climate Conference of the Parties (COP33) scheduled for 2028, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Friday.

 

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said there were several issues that were taken into account before the decision to pull out, but reiterated that "India remains fully committed to meeting its climate change commitments".

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had proposed hosting the summit at the COP28 held in 2023 in Dubai.

 

India had earlier hosted the COP8 summit in New Delhi in 2002.

 

The COP is the main decision-making group of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Every country that is part of the Convention takes part in these meetings. During COP sessions, countries check how well the Convention and its rules are being followed and make decisions to improve how it is carried out, including setting up necessary systems and procedures.

 

 

One of the COP’s important roles is to examine reports and data shared by countries about their greenhouse gas emissions and actions taken. Using this information, the COP evaluates how effective these efforts are and how much progress has been made toward the Convention’s main goal.

 

The COP usually meets once every year unless countries decide otherwise. The first meeting took place in Berlin, Germany, in March 1995. Meetings are generally held in Bonn, where the UNFCCC secretariat is based, unless another country volunteers to host.

 

The responsibility of hosting the Conference of the Parties (COP) rotates among five UN regional blocs: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Western Europe and Others. India falls within the Asia-Pacific group.

 

COP30 took place in Brazil. This year’s COP31 is set to be co-hosted by Turkey and Australia, both of which belong to the Western Europe and Others group. Looking ahead, COP32 in 2027 is planned for Ethiopia.

 

After India stepped back from consideration, South Korea remains the only nation so far to show interest in hosting COP33.