Promise check: Bid to co-host a UN climate conference with Pacific Island countries

Promise check: Bid to co-host a UN climate conference with Pacific Island countries

At the 2022 election, Labor promised to bid to co-host a UN climate conference with Pacific Island countries. Here's how that promise is tracking.

Flags of Pacific nations flying together with Fiji, Solomon Islands. Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu

As part of a broader strategy to reset relations with Pacific nations, Labor went to the election promising a new era in Australian climate policy.

This included a pledge that it would bid to co-host a major UN climate summit.

The party's election platform said Labor would "bid to co-host a future Conference of the Parties in Australia with Pacific partner countries".

Labor repeated its promise numerous times before the election.

According to one policy document, a "bid to co-host a future UN Conference of the Parties with Pacific Island countries" would demonstrate "that Australia under Labor is committed to rebuilding our climate leadership".

The UN describes the Conference of the Parties as its "supreme decision-making body" for tackling climate change.

Its annual meetings are more commonly known as COP conferences. Adoption of the 2015 Paris Agreement was the result of one such conference (COP21).

Assessing the promise

Labor did not say which COP conference it would bid for, referring only to a "future" summit.

However, host countries for the next two years — Egypt (2022) and United Arab Emirates (2023) — had already been announced before the promise was made.

The next available conference (COP29) will be held in 2024, with the host to be formally decided at the 2023 conference.

COP conferences are generally held in November and December, meaning the 2025 conference will likely fall beyond the next federal election, although the government could still submit a bid to host this summit.

Typically the host country holds the COP presidency, which each year moves among five regional groupings. In 2024, first choice belongs to a country from Eastern Europe, though the group can agree to relinquish its turn.

According to a UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) handbook:

"The regional groups hold consultations to determine which country from their region will offer to host on behalf of the group. Once agreed, the chair of that regional group formally sends an expression of interest to the [UNFCCC] secretariat."

It added: "The COP usually takes note of the offer in a decision on the dates and venues of future sessions."

Labor said it would "bid to co-host" a conference, although Australia and Pacific Island nations belong to different regional groups.

A pre-election report by The Australia Institute explained that this meant "Pacific countries would not be formally involved in the bidding".

But it said Pacific countries could be consulted as a partner, for example, helping to determine themes and announcements or hosting formal preparatory meetings in the months leading up to the conference.

This promise will be delivered if, before the next federal election, the UNFCCC secretariat receives an offer from Australia to host a COP climate conference, and if Pacific Island nations have agreed to participate as partners.

Here's how the promise is tracking:

19 May 2023

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19 May 2023

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