COP27 Sharm el-Sheikh

COP27 was the 27th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), hosted by Egypt in Sharm el-Sheikh from 6–20 November 2022. It also served as the fourth meeting of the parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA 4). Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry presided over the conference, which was branded as an "African COP" with a strong emphasis on implementation, adaptation, and climate finance for developing countries.

The headline outcome was the Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan and the historic decision to establish a dedicated loss and damage fund to assist developing countries "particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change." This had been a demand of the G77+China and the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) for over three decades and was long resisted by wealthy emitters concerned about liability. A Transitional Committee was tasked with operationalising the fund, with arrangements to be finalised at COP28 in Dubai.

On mitigation, COP27 was widely seen as disappointing. The final text reaffirmed the 1.5°C temperature goal of the Paris Agreement and the Glasgow Climate Pact's call to phase down unabated coal, but parties failed to agree on language to phase down or phase out all fossil fuels, despite a push by India, the EU, and several climate-vulnerable states. References to a peak in emissions before 2025 were also dropped.

The conference convened roughly 35,000 registered participants, including a record number of fossil fuel industry representatives, which drew criticism from civil society. Other deliverables included a new five-year work programme on the Mitigation Ambition and Implementation Work Programme and progress on the Global Goal on Adaptation. For MUN delegates, COP27 is a key reference point for debates on climate finance, common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR), and historical responsibility.