[5][6] Member states of the UNFCCC meet annually at the Conference of the Parties (COP) to assess progress in combating climate change.

COP provides a platform for governments, NGOs, and the private sector to collaborate and determine strategies for global climate policy and action.

These conferences offer an opportunity to discuss climate governance measures, reduce carbon emissions, and promote the transition to more sustainable energy sources.

[12] Delegates also established: a pilot phase for Joint Implementation projects; an agreement that the Permanent Secretariat should be located in Bonn, Germany; and the Subsidiary Bodies.

The United States would be required to reduce its total emissions an average of 7% below 1990 levels; however Congress did not ratify the treaty after Clinton signed it.

However, the complexity and difficulty of finding agreement on these issues proved insurmountable, and instead the parties adopted a two-year "Buenos Aires Plan of Action" (BAPA) to advance efforts and to devise mechanisms for implementing the Kyoto Protocol, to be completed by 2000.

During COP 4, Argentina and Kazakhstan expressed their commitment to take on the greenhouse gas emissions reduction obligation, the first two non-Annex countries to do so.

[19] Despite reaching no major conclusions, COP-5 served as an important "intermediate step" laying out the difficult path to finalizing the Kyoto Protocol at COP-6.

COP 6 negotiations resumed on 16–27 July 2001, in Bonn, Germany, with little progress having been made in resolving the differences that had produced an impasse in The Hague.

[citation needed] The agreements included: A number of operational details attendant upon these decisions remained to be negotiated and agreed upon, and these were the major issues considered by the COP 7 meeting that followed.

At the COP 7 meeting in Marrakech, Morocco, from 29 October to 10 November 2001, negotiators wrapped up the work on the Buenos Aires Plan of Action, finalizing most of the operational details and setting the stage for nations to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.

COP 10 discussed the progress made since the first Conference of the Parties 10 years ago and its future challenges, with special emphasis on climate change mitigation and adaptation.

The Montreal Action Plan was an agreement to "extend the life of the Kyoto Protocol beyond its 2012 expiration date and negotiate deeper cuts in greenhouse-gas emissions".

At the meeting, BBC reporter Richard Black coined the phrase "climate tourists" to describe some delegates who attended "to see Africa, take snaps of the wildlife, the poor, dying African children and women".

Black also noted that due to delegates concerns over economic costs and possible losses of competitiveness, the majority of the discussions avoided any mention of reducing emissions.

Agreement on a timeline and structured negotiation on the post-2012 framework (the end of the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol) was achieved with the adoption of the Bali Action Plan (Decision 1/CP.13).

However, on 14 November 2009, the New York Times announced that "President Obama and other world leaders have decided to put off the difficult task of reaching a climate change agreement... agreeing instead to make it the mission of the Copenhagen conference to reach a less specific "politically binding" agreement that would punt the most difficult issues into the future".

[40] Ministers and officials from 192 countries took part in the Copenhagen meeting and in addition there were participants from a large number of civil society organizations.

As many Annex 1 industrialized countries are now reluctant to fulfill commitments under the Kyoto Protocol, a large part of the diplomatic work that lays the foundation for a post-Kyoto agreement was undertaken up to the COP 15.

[41] The accord was notable in that it referred to a collective commitment by developed countries for new and additional resources, including forestry and investments through international institutions, that will approach US$30 billion for the period 2010–2012.

Nor was a commitment to a second period of the Kyoto Protocol agreed upon, but it was concluded that the base year shall be 1990 and the global warming potentials shall be those provided by the IPCC.

[42][44] The conference agreed to a start negotiations on a legally binding deal comprising all countries, to be adopted in 2015, governing the period post 2020.

[46] While the president of the conference, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, declared it a success,[46] scientists and environmental groups warned that the deal was not sufficient to avoid global warming beyond 2 °C as more urgent action is needed.

[57] Fijian Prime Minister and incoming President of COP 23, Frank Bainimarama, on 13 April launched the logo for this year's United Nations Climate Change Conference, to be held at UN Campus, Bonn in November.

[70] UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa stated that organizers were "exploring alternative hosting options".

At the beginning of November 2023, the Pope announced he would attend the conference and would stay there for 3 days, but unfortunately he had to cancel his trip due to health issues.

[82][83] Charles III, King of the United Kingdom, gave the opening address at the summit, his first speech on the climate crisis since becoming monarch.

[84] United States president Joe Biden did not attend, with the 2023 Israel–Hamas war and internal US government spending difficulties being cited as possible causes.

[91] The conference concluded with an agreement on plans for finance to mitigate the effects of climate change and help developing nations transition to more sustainable energy sources.

[109] NGOs wishing to participate in UN Climate Change Conferences as observers must undergo an accreditation process, which consists of several steps.