It is the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP), i.e. an annual meeting that brings together countries from around the world to promote the climate change agenda as well as seek long-term solutions to lead us to a low-carbon and climate-resilient future. It will take place from November 30 to December 11, 2015, in Paris, France.

Moreover, the 11th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP) will also take place on the same date.

What is COP?

The COP is the supreme decision-making body of the Convention. All States that are Parties to the Convention are represented at the COP, at which they review the implementation of the Convention and any other legal instruments that the COP adopts and take decisions necessary to promote the effective implementation of the Convention, including institutional and administrative arrangements.

A key task for the COP is to review the national communications and emission inventories submitted by Parties. Based on this information, the COP assesses the effects of the measures taken by Parties and the progress made in achieving the ultimate objective of the Convention.

The COP meets every year, unless the Parties decide otherwise. The first COP meeting was held in Berlin, Germany in March, 1995. The COP meets in Bonn, the seat of the secretariat, unless a Party offers to host the session. Just as the COP Presidency rotates among the five recognized UN regions - that is, Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Central and Eastern Europe and Western Europe and Others – there is a tendency for the venue of the COP to also shift among these groups.

What is CMP?

The COP serves as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP). All States that are Parties to the Kyoto Protocol are represented at the CMP, while States that are not Parties participate as observers. The CMP reviews the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol and takes decisions to promote its effective implementation.

The CMP meets annually during the same period as the COP. Parties to the Convention that are not Parties to the Protocol are able to participate in the CMP as observers, but without the right to take decisions. The functions of the CMP relating to the Protocol are similar to those carried out by the COP for the Convention.

The first meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol was held in Montreal, Canada in December 2005, in conjunction with the eleventh session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 11).

The Parties to the Kyoto Protocol also formally adopted the "rulebook" of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the so-called 'Marrakesh accords', which sets the framework for implementation of the Protocol.