The 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) initially scheduled to hold in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, from November 7 to 18, 2022, will now open on Sunday, November 6.
In a statement titled “Early opening of the United Nations Climate Change Conference” and dated Tuesday, May 24, UNFCCC executive secretary, Patricia Espinosa, said that the decision was informed by the need to allow for the participation of Heads of State and Government and build political support to enhance climate action and support.
“I hereby inform Parties and observer States to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, United Nations organisations, and intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations admitted as observers that COP27, CMP17 and CMA4 will open on Sunday, November 6, 2022, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Arab Republic of Egypt. The revised dates of the conference are therefore November 6 to 8, 2022,” disclosed Espinosa.
According to her, the Bureau of the Conference of the Parties (COP), the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP) and the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA) met on Tuesday, May 24 to consider a proposal by the incoming Presidency of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh to advance the opening of the conference to provide additional time “to allow for the participation of Heads of State and Government with a view to building political support to enhance climate action and support while also allowing work to advance”.
She added that the UNFCCC secretariat is liaising with the host country on logistical arrangements for the sessions regarding the new opening date, including pre-sessional and preparatory meetings to be held prior to the conference.
COP27 was originally expected to take place from November 8 to 20, 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, COP26 was rescheduled from November 2020 to November 2021. As a result, COP27 was shifted to hold from November 7 to 18, 2022.
