What is COP?
A Conference of the Parties (COP) is a high-level conference, usually related to a particular treaty, that brings together states and non-state actors.
A COP can refer to the governance meetings of a number of international treaty bodies, but the acronym is often used to refer to the three environmental conventions established at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro on climate change (UNFCCC COP), biodiversity (CBD COP), and desertification (UNCCD COP).
The UNFCCC COP on climate change is the most well-known. It includes representatives of all the "Parties" (the countries which have agreed to participate in and be bound by the UNFCCC). The UNFCCC COP takes place every year, and is an opportunity to negotiate new measures, and review progress of all the Parties against the overall goal of the UNFCCC to limit climate change. Generally, each COP agrees a statement or a binding agreement which is publicly released at the end of the conference. Both the CBD COP and UNCCD COP are next due to take place in 2026, as they occur every two years.
The University of Cambridge is officially admitted as a non-governmental organisation (NGO) Observer to COP negotiations and is eligible to nominate delegates to attend the Intersessional meetings and COPs. This process is coordinated by the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) for the whole university, in collaboration with Cambridge Zero (CZ) and other University partners.
How do I get involved?
In 2025, there is the opportunity for the University of Cambridge to participate in two UN meetings, as listed below.
- Bonn Climate Change Conference SB 62: Bonn, Germany - June 16 - 26. More information here.
- UNFCCC COP30: Belém, Brazil - November 10-21. More information here.
Please complete this short form if you are interested in being nominated to be part of the University of Cambridge delegation for either or both of these meetings.
All members of staff and students of the University of Cambridge are eligible to express interest. Please be aware that expressing interest and subsequent nomination does not mean that we will be able to guarantee you a place as part of the Cambridge delegation.
Funding:
Kindly note that while the COP is free of charge (i.e. there is no conference fee), delegates must arrange to cover their own travel, accommodation, and subsistence costs.
How are delegate places allocated?
Each year we receive a high volume of requests for nomination but are only awarded a very small number of delegate badges by the UNFCCC Secretariat, for example at COP29 only2 badges were awarded which were split out across 6 delegates.
We therefore use the following selection criteria to decide who will represent the university.
Selection criteria:
- Delegates who are directly engaging in the negotiations and can outline the proposed format of this engagement and possible outcomes.
- Delegates who are running or speaking at an in-person event in the formal “Blue Zone” with a defined audience, message and route to impact.
- Delegates who are engaging with policymakers and government representatives with a defined message.
- Delegates who are undertaking in-person research on the ground with clearly stated research aims.
- Delegates who are attending to achieve University work-related goals, aligned with the University’s mission
- Delegates who are undertaking strategic networking on behalf of the University
- Willingness to coordinate with other University attendees to have a cohesive University presence
Decisions will be made by a selection panel based on the criteria above.
Timeline for 2025
- 19 February - 5 March: Expression of Interest (EOI) form open for applications for Bonn SB 62
- May: SB 62 badges will be allocated, and the successful university members will be informed.
- Late May: CISL and CZ will organise a coordination meeting ahead of Bonn SB 62
- 16-26 June: University of Cambridge delegation attends Bonn SB 62.
- 2 June – 25 July: EOI form reopens for applications for COP30
- October: COP30 badges will be allocated, and the successful university members will be informed.
- Early November: CISL and CZ hosted COP29 coordination meeting.
- 10-21 November: University delegation attends COP30
Please note: this timeline maybe open to alterations.
