Conference of the Parties (COP)

WMO provides a wide range of scientific and technical inputs to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the chief global forum for international collaboration and climate action. As part of this work, WMO submits reports including on the State of the Global Climate and the Greenhouse Gas Bulletin for the Conference of Parties (COP), the Convention’s supreme decision-making body. By promoting and coordinating many of the observing systems and research networks that underpin climate science, WMO highlights the need for governments to address climate change.

In December 2015, the Parties to the Climate Change Convention adopted the Paris Agreement, setting out a global pathway for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building climate resilience. The Agreement’s central aim is to keep global mean temperature rise in this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The Agreement also aims to strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change. The Agreement entered into force on 4 November 2016.

Aerial view of a historic riverside district with colonial buildings, a fort, and modern city skyline in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

COP30 website

WMO will send a top-level delegation to COP30 in Belém, Brazil (10–21 November 2025). Marking ten years since the Paris Agreement, COP30 is expected to be a pivotal moment, with negotiations on the third round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0) and preparations for the second Global Stocktake.

WMO at COP30 website

How WMO helps the UNFCCC

To fulfill its mandate in the field of climate variability and climate change, WMO:

Reports to the COP about the recent progress and future plans of observation systems and research programmes that support the implementation of Article 5 of the Convention
Coordinates the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS) comprising space, air, land and sea-based instruments that monitor the state of the Earth’s atmosphere, ocean and land surface, and water cycle
Operates the WMO Information System (WIS) for managing and exchanging data and information about weather, climate and water
Leads the UN system’s Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS), a worldwide partnership of governments and organizations that produce and use climate information services for managing and adapting to climate risks
Provides annual scientific reports on greenhouse gas concentrations and global climate trend such as the State of the Global Climate and Greenhouse Gas Bulletin
Provides capacity development to assist governments in monitoring and forecasting climate trends
Addresses climate information requirements for disaster risk management
Contributes to the United Nations Alliance on Climate Change Education, Training and Public Awareness
Co-sponsors and hosts the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Co-sponsors and hosts the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP)
Co-sponsors and hosts the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS)