Conference of the Parties (COP)

UUSC’s presence at COP

We attend COP annually to amplify the voices of our partners living in the Global South, Indigenous communities, and Pacific island nations who are experiencing the earliest and most devastating effects of climate change. While local communities are willing to offer support for international climate solutions, they are often excluded from the decision-making spaces that determine their future.

We hold firmly the belief that climate change is fundamentally a human rights issue exacerbated by capitalism and colonization. This is a profound moral crisis that calls for the transformation of our relationships with one another and with the Earth.

Our Annual Delegation

Each year, we support the attendance of numerous representatives from our grassroots partners worldwide, including assistance with funding, visa support, and strategic planning. Our collective typically includes Indigenous communities, faith-based organizations, and leaders from Pacific island nations.

Our advocacy centers on our FAIR framework:

• Fund Loss and Damage Initiatives: Advocating for wealthy nations to compensate communities for climate damages already suffered. The recently established Loss and Damage Fund represents a historic victory, though pledges fall short of actual community needs.
• Assess Progress Towards Climate Success: Supporting a rigorous process to honestly evaluate global progress toward limiting warming to 1.5°C.
• Increase Funding for Adaptation and Mitigation: Collaborate across nations to ensure that regions and locales worldwide have equitable access to funds for adapting to and mitigating the impacts of climate change.
• Raise Equity and Justice: Ensuring climate action addresses rather than perpetuates existing inequalities, with meaningful participation from climate-vulnerable groups.