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On 30 November, international delegations will descend on Dubai for the 28th annual United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP). The two-week event plays host to world leaders, activists, media, businesses and civilians, all with the common goal of limiting climate change.
It’s a lofty mission, and the pressure riding on each conference is immense. Making sense of such a whirlwind event — and getting the most out of it — is easier said than done. To help, Vogue Business called on conference veterans from the sustainable fashion space to share their advice for first-timers and seasoned attendees alike. This guide covers everything from the political context, to how to prepare and which high-level conversations to take part in.
Since its first iteration in Berlin in 1995, COP has brought together the signatories of the 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in a bid to halt the already inevitable effects of rising global temperatures. The so-called “parties” — of which there are now 199 — have met almost every year since, bar the pandemic in 2020, with the COP presidency rotating between the five recognised UN regions (Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, central and eastern Europe, and western Europe and others).