Solar glass archway The official entrance of the COP29 summit—which was held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11 to 22, 2024—was made up of colored glass panes, which were actually solar panels powering lighting and music displays. (more) conference of the parties international relations Ask the Chatbot a Question More Actions Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/topic/conference-of-the-parties Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　External Websites Ask the Chatbot a Question Also known as: COP Written by Anca Gurzu Anca Gurzu is Cipher’s chief Europe correspondent, based in Brussels, Belgium. Anca Gurzu Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Feb 26, 2025 • Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What is the main purpose of a conference of the parties (COP)? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The main purpose of a conference of the parties (COP) is to bring together members of an international treaty to review and update the treatyu2019s implementation. The term is primarily associated with the main decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), a treaty that focuses on climate change and requires member states to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) responsible for global warming." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " How often are COP meetings on climate held, and where do they take place? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "COP meetings are typically held annually at different locations around the world, with the host country rotating among the five UN regional groups (that is, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, central and eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and western Europe and other statesu2014the latter of which includes the United States, Canada, and Australia). The COP presidency is usually held by the host country, and it is responsible for leading negotiations and representing the collective voice of all parties." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What was a significant outcome of the COP21 meeting in Paris? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The significant outcome of COP21 in Paris was the 2015 Paris Agreement, under which countries committed to develop voluntary emission reduction targets that would, collectively, prevent global temperatures from increasing by more than 2 u00B0C [3.6 u00B0F] above benchmark temperatures set before the start of the Industrial Revolution. The agreement also bound countries to commit to standardized reporting requirements." } } ] } Top Questions What is the main purpose of a conference of the parties (COP)? The main purpose of a conference of the parties (COP) is to bring together members of an international treaty to review and update the treaty’s implementation. The term is primarily associated with the main decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), a treaty that focuses on climate change and requires member states to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) responsible for global warming.

　　How often are COP meetings on climate held, and where do they take place? COP meetings are typically held annually at different locations around the world, with the host country rotating among the five UN regional groups (that is, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, central and eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and western Europe and other states—the latter of which includes the United States, Canada, and Australia). The COP presidency is usually held by the host country, and it is responsible for leading negotiations and representing the collective voice of all parties.

　　What was a significant outcome of the COP21 meeting in Paris? The significant outcome of COP21 in Paris was the 2015 Paris Agreement, under which countries committed to develop voluntary emission reduction targets that would, collectively, prevent global temperatures from increasing by more than 2 °C [3.6 °F] above benchmark temperatures set before the start of the Industrial Revolution. The agreement also bound countries to commit to standardized reporting requirements.

　　conference of the parties (COP), a generic term that refers to the governing body of an international treaty or framework convention, bringing together its members to review and update the treaty’s implementation. Although the United Nations hosts several such conferences on various topics, including biological diversity and anti-corruption efforts, the term conference of the parties is primarily associated with the annual assembly of the main decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)—and it is this association that is the subject of this article. The UNFCCC is a binding treaty that requires member states to reduce ...(100 of 1096 words)

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