Building a COPing Strategy

India has offered to host the 33rd edition of the UN's Conference of the Parties in 2028. To drive global agenda on climate action as the COP host, it will have to prepare itself to go beyond climate justice advocacy and come up with viable solutions where the interests of developing nations can be balanced with those of the planet 

- Ankita Mookherjee

 

At the 28th edition of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), held in Dubai last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered to host the 33rd edition in India in 2028.

Since the first meeting of the COP, the conference has grown into one of the largest and most important intergovernmental meetings. According to the UNFCCC handbook, titled How to COP, the total number of participants at COP25 was 22,472, which included government delegates, intergovernmental organisations, non-government organisations, etc. Hosting the now-bigger COP aligns with Modi’s agenda of positioning India as the Vishwa Guru (global teacher) and driving international diplomacy with the idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (one earth, one family, one future).

In this context, the benefit suggested by the UNFCCC handbook, which calls it “an exciting way for a country to step into the global spotlight and showcase its commitment to combating climate change”, is just what India under Modi seeks. The document observes that past COP presidencies have experienced that their outreach efforts and improved communication helped the government advance its national agenda, including discussions on nationally determined contributions and national adaptation plans.

The COP is held on a rotational basis every year and it will be the turn of the Asia-Pacific region to host it in 2028. As per UN rules, India can be the host only if all countries in the region unanimously agree to its bid. It hopes to amplify its pitch with the success of the Voice of Global South Summit 2023 and the G20 summit in Delhi where, as the group president for the year 2023, it managed to whip up the New Delhi Declaration after relentlessly pushing for a consensus among reluctant nations.

Dealing with Conflicts