---
title: "COP28 — Definition & Meaning | Model Diplomat"
description: "COP28 was the 28th UNFCCC conference in Dubai, 2023, marking the first Global Stocktake and a commitment to reduce fossil fuel reliance."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/cop28"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- COP28 was the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC, held in Dubai, UAE, in 2023, which delivered the first Global Stocktake and a pledge to transition away from fossil fuels.
- What was the legal significance of the Global Stocktake at COP28?
- What is the Loss and Damage Fund and what happened to it at COP28?
- Why is the COP28 language on fossil fuels considered a milestone yet contested?
- What was India's position at COP28?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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## Research COP28 like a delegate

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## Positions at a glance

### Supporters

For India, COP28 reinforced positions advanced under its 2021 Glasgow "Panchamrit" commitments and the Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy; India did not join the Global Renewables and Energy Efficiency Pledge or the Global Cooling Pledge but launched, with Sweden, the Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT 2.0) and the Green Credit Initiative. Bangladesh, as a Least Developed Country and chair-state of the Climate Vulnerable Forum legacy, pressed for accessible Loss and Damage finance and adaptation support, given its acute exposure to sea-level rise and cyclonic flooding. The summit also adopted the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience, advancing the Global Goal on Adaptation under Article 7 of the Paris Agreement. As of 2026, attention has shifted to the New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance settled at COP29 (Baku, 2024) and the second-round Nationally Determined Contributions due ahead of COP30 (Belém, Brazil, 2025).

### Opponents

The GST outcome, styled the UAE Consensus, found Parties collectively off track and for the first time in a COP decision called on countries to contribute to "transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner." It also set global targets to triple renewable energy capacity and double the rate of energy-efficiency improvements by 2030, accelerate phase-down of unabated coal, and reach net-zero by 2050. Critics noted the softer "transitioning away from" formulation replaced an earlier draft's "phase-out," and the text retained references to "transitional fuels" (natural gas) and carbon capture. The other landmark was the operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund on the conference's opening day—a mechanism agreed in principle at COP27 (Sharm el-Sheikh, 2022)—with the World Bank as interim host and initial pledges exceeding US$700 million, addressing developing-country demands rooted in the principle of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC, Article 3, UNFCCC).

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Example

In December 2023 at COP28 in Dubai, presided over by Sultan Al Jaber, nearly 200 Parties adopted the UAE Consensus, the first COP decision to explicitly call for transitioning away from fossil fuels.

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