Summary:
The COP President will travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the annual pre-COP meeting in Kinshasa. The event is the yearly precursor to the UN Conference of the Parties (COP) COP27 takes place in Egypt in November. The Pre-COP will be the final occasion for ministers to come together before COP27. Forests & Climate Leaders Partnership will be established at COP27, according to an invitation from the COP26 Presidency. This partnership will hasten the execution of the historic agreement reached at COP26 by more than 140 nations.
The COP President will represent the UK at the meeting to lay the groundwork for a successful COP27 in Egypt that strengthens international climate commitments and builds on COP26. He will also highlight the significance of the Congo Basin rainforest as the Earth’s most efficient carbon sink. The pre-COP meeting in Kinshasa, hosted by the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Egypt, is the final formal multilateral opportunity for ministers to shape climate negotiations before COP27 in November.
Alok Sharma, the president of the COP, will proceed to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for the pre-COP, which takes place from October 3–5. Pre-COP is the yearly precursor to the UN Conference of the Parties (COP). The COP President will keep working with Ministers to lay the groundwork for effective negotiations at COP27 and advancement on adaptation, mitigation, loss and damage, and funding before COP27 in Egypt.
This year’s pre-COP is in Kinshasa, marking the event’s first appearance in Africa in six years. The Congo Basin forest, the second-largest tropical rainforest region in the world and a contributing factor to the fight against climate change is located primarily in the DRC.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US President Joe Biden, President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon made an announcement at COP26 in Glasgow regarding a donation pledge from 12 donors totalling $1.5 billion for the forests of the Congo Basin over the years 2021 to 25. Before its formal reporting on the Pledge at COP27, the COP President will provide an update on the pledge status while in Kinshasa.
This commitment will support local, sustainable economic development requirements while preserving the forests, peatlands, and other essential global carbon reserves in the Congo Basin.
The Forests & Climate Leaders Partnership will be established at COP27, according to a recent invitation from the COP26 Presidency. This new partnership will hasten the execution of the historic agreement reached at COP26 by more than 140 nations to halt and reverse land degradation and forest loss while fostering inclusive rural transformation and sustainable development.
The Pre-COP will be the final occasion for ministers to come together before COP27.
Alok Sharma, COP’s president, said:
“Discussions in the DRC take on ever greater urgency with just over a month until COP27.
“As the effects of climate change worsen, the emphasis must stay on action and execution, advancing the consensus reached in Glasgow. And let’s be clear: the Paris Agreement and the Glasgow Climate Pact must be the foundation for our ambition.
Our hosts primarily manage the second-largest forest in the world in the DRC. One-third of the CO2 released annually from burning fossil fuels is absorbed by forests, which act as the planet’s lungs.
“With more than 140 leaders promising to stop and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030, COP26 created the foundation for more ambitious action. Delivering these promises to conserve and restore forests must be a priority at COP27.
Analysis by: Advocacy Unified Network