New Delhi Withdraws Bid for COP33 Amid Silence on Reasons

India has formally withdrawn its bid to host the 2028 United Nations climate summit, known as the Conference of the Parties (COP33), according to sources on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had previously announced India's intention to host the event during his address at COP28 in Dubai in 2023. Typically, host nations for COP meetings are finalised around two years in advance.

Sources confirmed that India's decision to step back from hosting duties was communicated earlier this week. However, no official reason has been provided for the withdrawal.

There has been no comment from the Environment Ministry, and queries sent to the COP secretariat in Bonn have also gone unanswered.

Former Amitabh Kant described the move as "sensible" in a post on X, criticising developed nations for failing to meet commitments made under earlier agreements. He also claimed that fossil fuel interests have increasingly influenced COP proceedings.

According to sources, the responsibility for nominating a host country lies with regional blocs-in this case, the Asia-Pacific Group-rather than the COP secretariat itself.

Hosting rights for the annual climate summit rotate among five United Nations regional groups. COP31 will be jointly hosted by Turkey and Australia, while COP32 is scheduled to take place in Ethiopia's capital.

In preparation for the 2028 event, India's Environment Ministry had established a dedicated COP33 Cell in July 2025 to manage planning and logistics.

The annual COP meetings are organised under the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which oversees global climate negotiations and policy coordination.