COP Conferences (1995–2025): Full List of UN Climate Change Summits and Key Outcomes

The Conference of the Parties (COP) serves as the supreme decision-making body of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Every country that has signed the Convention, known as “Parties”, takes part in these meetings. The main goal is simple yet vital: to assess how nations are performing in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and to make decisions that ensure the effective implementation of the Convention.

At each COP, member countries review reports on national emissions and climate actions, discuss progress, and adopt new measures to strengthen climate governance. The COP also handles administrative and institutional arrangements to ensure the Convention’s objectives are met globally.

How did the COP start, and how often does it meet?

The first COP meeting was held in Berlin, Germany, in March 1995. Since then, COP sessions have been organized every year, unless decided otherwise by the Parties. These meetings are hosted either in Bonn, Germany—home to the UNFCCC Secretariat—or by a country that volunteers to host.

The presidency of the COP rotates among the five recognized UN regions:

• Africa
• Asia
• Latin America and the Caribbean
• Central and Eastern Europe
• Western Europe and Others

This rotation also often influences where the sessions are held. For instance, recent meetings have taken place in Africa (Egypt, 2022), Asia (UAE, 2023), and Europe (Poland, 2018).

What are the key tasks of the COP?

A major task of the COP is to review national climate reports and emission inventories submitted by countries. These documents show what each nation is doing to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change impacts. Based on these, the COP assesses progress toward the Convention’s ultimate objective—stabilising greenhouse gas concentrations to prevent dangerous interference with the climate system.

The COP also serves as a platform for new agreements and frameworks, such as the historic Kyoto Protocol (1997) and the Paris Agreement (2015), which remain crucial to global climate action.

List of COP Conferences (1995–2025)

Here’s a look at where each COP took place since 1995:

COP Number	Year	Location (City, Country)	Official Name / Key Notes
COP 1	1995	Berlin, Germany	Berlin Climate Change Conference
COP 2	1996	Geneva, Switzerland	Geneva Climate Change Conference
COP 3	1997	Kyoto, Japan	Adoption of the Kyoto Protocol
COP 4	1998	Buenos Aires, Argentina	Buenos Aires Climate Change Conference
COP 5	1999	Bonn, Germany	Bonn Climate Change Conference
COP 6	2000	The Hague, Netherlands	The Hague Climate Change Conference
COP 6-2	2001	Bonn, Germany	Resumed COP6 – Bonn Climate Change Conference
COP 7	2001	Marrakech, Morocco	Marrakech Climate Change Conference
COP 8	2002	New Delhi, India	New Delhi Climate Change Conference
COP 9	2003	Milan, Italy	Milan Climate Change Conference
COP 10	2004	Buenos Aires, Argentina	Buenos Aires Climate Change Conference
COP 11	2005	Montreal, Canada	Montreal Climate Change Conference
COP 12	2006	Nairobi, Kenya	Nairobi Climate Change Conference
COP 13	2007	Bali, Indonesia	Bali Road Map adopted
COP 14	2008	Poznań, Poland	Poznań Climate Change Conference
COP 15	2009	Copenhagen, Denmark	Copenhagen Accord discussed
COP 16	2010	Cancún, Mexico	Cancún Agreements adopted
COP 17	2011	Durban, South Africa	Durban Platform for Enhanced Action
COP 18	2012	Doha, Qatar	Doha Amendment to Kyoto Protocol
COP 19	2013	Warsaw, Poland	Warsaw Framework for REDD+
COP 20	2014	Lima, Peru	Lima Call for Climate Action
COP 21	2015	Paris, France	Adoption of the Paris Agreement
COP 22	2016	Marrakech, Morocco	Implementation of the Paris Agreement
COP 23	2017	Bonn, Germany (hosted by Fiji)	Talanoa Dialogue launched
COP 24	2018	Katowice, Poland	Katowice Rulebook adopted
COP 25	2019	Madrid, Spain (hosted by Chile)	Further negotiations on Article 6
COP 26	2021	Glasgow, United Kingdom	Glasgow Climate Pact
COP 27	2022	Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt	Loss and Damage Fund established
COP 28	2023	Dubai, United Arab Emirates	First Global Stocktake under Paris Agreement
COP 29	2024	Baku, Azerbaijan	Focus on Climate Finance and Accountability
COP 30	2025	Belém, Brazil	30th UN Climate Change Conference – Focus on Global Implementation and Collective Action

What Makes COP30 in Brazil So Significant?

The upcoming COP30, scheduled for November 2025 in Belém, Brazil, will mark a major milestone—it’s the 30th global climate summit since the UNFCCC’s creation. The choice of Brazil, a country with vast rainforests and rich biodiversity, underscores the urgency of protecting ecosystems central to global climate stability.

At COP30, leaders will revisit commitments made in previous conferences and evaluate whether countries are on track to meet net-zero emission goals. The summit is expected to emphasize:

• Collective climate action, since greenhouse gases know no borders.
• Support for developing nations, especially those facing rising seas and extreme weather.
• Stronger adaptation and financing mechanisms to implement climate promises effectively.

By the time COP30 takes place, twenty-nine earlier COP meetings will have set the foundation through goals, guidelines, and pledges for climate action. The challenge now is turning those commitments into measurable, real-world results.