COP stands for Conference of the Parties, which is an annual meeting where United Nations member states convene to assess progress in dealing with climate change and make a plan for climate action within the guidelines of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) . The COP is the supreme decision-making body of the Convention. The first COP was held in Berlin in 1995, and since then, the conferences have been held annually. The goal of these conferences is to review progress made by members of the UNFCCC to limit climate change.

The COP meetings primarily revolve around negotiations and debates, and the attendees are representatives of governments or observer organizations like charities. COP meetings provide a platform for reviewing reports and assessing the collective progress in tackling climate change. The COP meetings are a crucial part of the UNFCCC process, and the 197 nations and territories that have signed on to the 1992 UNFCCC are responsible for monitoring and reviewing the implementation of the UNFCCC with the objective to "stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system".

COP26 was hosted by the UK in Glasgow, from 1 to 12 November 2021, while Italy organized a range of pre-COP sessions and events in Milan. The UK continues to hold the COP26 presidency until COP27, which is due to take place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt in November 2022.