What Happened
- India has withdrawn its offer to host the COP33 climate summit in 2028, with an official communication sent to other parties on April 2, 2026, citing "a review of its commitments for the year 2028."
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi had first announced India's candidacy in December 2023 (on the sidelines of COP28 in Dubai); the BRICS grouping had welcomed India's bid in a July 2025 joint statement.
- No official detailed explanation was provided, but factors cited by sources include the US's exit from the Paris Agreement, reduced global attendance at recent COPs, and the substantial financial, administrative, and diplomatic burden of hosting.
- Hosting COP33 would have coincided with the second Global Stocktake under the Paris Agreement — a high-stakes exercise requiring the host country to drive consensus on climate ambition and finance.
- Following India's withdrawal, South Korea remains the only declared candidate for hosting COP33; a final decision is expected later in 2026.
- COP33 is scheduled after COP31 (Türkiye, 2026) and COP32 (Ethiopia, 2027).
Static Topic Bridges
UNFCCC and the COP Framework
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted at the Rio Earth Summit (UN Conference on Environment and Development) in 1992 and entered into force in March 1994. It is the foundational treaty for international climate governance, with 198 parties. The Conference of the Parties (COP) is its supreme decision-making body, meeting annually. COP presidency rotates among five UN regional groups: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC), and Western Europe and Others (WEOG).
- UNFCCC adopted: May 9, 1992 (Rio Earth Summit); entered into force: March 21, 1994
- Total parties: 198 (as of 2025)
- COP33 hosting right: Asia-Pacific regional group — India and South Korea were the only declared candidates
- Key COP milestones: COP3 (Kyoto Protocol, 1997); COP15 (Copenhagen, 2009); COP21 (Paris Agreement, 2015); COP26 (Glasgow, 2021 — net-zero 2070 announced by India); COP28 (Dubai, 2023 — Global Stocktake I)
- First Global Stocktake: Completed at COP28 (2023); Second Global Stocktake: Due at COP33 (2028)
Connection to this news: India's withdrawal leaves the Asia-Pacific group without its most prominent candidate for the 2028 COP, precisely when the second Global Stocktake — a major assessment of global climate progress — is scheduled to be conducted.
Paris Agreement — Architecture and India's NDC Commitments
The Paris Agreement was adopted at COP21 in December 2015 and entered into force on November 4, 2016. Its central mechanism is the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) — each country's self-defined climate action plan, submitted and updated every five years. The Agreement operates on a "ratchet mechanism": each successive NDC must be more ambitious than the previous one.
- Paris Agreement entered into force: November 4, 2016
- India's Updated NDC (submitted August 2022, for 2021–2030 period):
- Reduce emissions intensity of GDP by 45% below 2005 levels by 2030
- Achieve 50% cumulative installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030
- Long-term net-zero target announced at COP26 (Glasgow, 2021): Net zero by 2070
- India's new NDC for 2031–2035 (approved by Union Cabinet, 2026): 47% emissions intensity reduction by 2035; 60% non-fossil power capacity by 2035; carbon sink of 3.5–4.0 billion tonnes CO₂ equivalent
- India has already exceeded its 2030 targets ahead of schedule: 36% emissions intensity reduction achieved; over 52% non-fossil fuel power capacity installed
- CBDR-RC principle: Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (UNFCCC Article 3) — underpins India's position on climate equity and finance
Connection to this news: India's withdrawal signals a recalibration of its climate diplomacy priorities at a time when it is simultaneously strengthening its NDC targets — highlighting the gap between domestic ambition and the burden of international hosting obligations.
Global Stocktake — UPSC Significance
The Global Stocktake (GST) is the Paris Agreement's collective review mechanism under Article 14, assessing whether parties are collectively on track to meet the Agreement's long-term temperature goals (limiting warming to 1.5°C–2°C above pre-industrial levels). It occurs every five years. The first GST was completed at COP28 (Dubai, 2023); the second is due at COP33 (2028).
- GST legal basis: Article 14 of the Paris Agreement
- Cycle: Every five years
- GST1 (COP28, 2023) outcome: "Transitioning away from fossil fuels" — first explicit fossil fuel reference in a COP decision; called for tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency by 2030
- Significance for COP host: The host country must build consensus across 198 parties on the GST outcome — politically and diplomatically demanding
- India's concern: As a major coal-dependent economy, COP33's GST could have pressed India toward more aggressive coal phase-down commitments
Connection to this news: Hosting COP33 during the second GST would have placed India at the centre of global negotiations on fossil fuel phase-down, creating potential conflicts with its domestic energy transition timeline and coal sector politics.
UNFCCC's Five Regional Groups and Hosting Rotation
The UNFCCC's COP presidency rotates among five UN regional groups. A country from the designated group hosts the COP and takes on the Presidency role for that year, leading negotiations and facilitating consensus.
- Five UN regional groups: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, GRULAC, WEOG
- Recent rotation: COP30 (Brazil, 2025 — GRULAC); COP31 (Türkiye, 2026 — Eastern Europe/WEOG); COP32 (Ethiopia, 2027 — Africa); COP33 (2028 — Asia-Pacific)
- India is part of the Asia-Pacific group; South Korea is now the remaining candidate for COP33
- Hosting involves organising logistics for ~40,000–50,000 delegates, providing venues, coordinating UN Secretariat operations
Connection to this news: With India's withdrawal, South Korea is the only Asia-Pacific country that has expressed interest — a nation with stronger economic capacity but a more complicated fossil fuel phase-out record.
Key Facts & Data
- UNFCCC adopted: May 9, 1992; entered into force: March 21, 1994; 198 parties
- India's COP33 bid first announced: December 2023 (COP28, Dubai); withdrawn: April 2, 2026
- India's Updated NDC targets: 45% emissions intensity reduction by 2030; 50% non-fossil power by 2030; Net Zero by 2070
- India's 2031–2035 NDC: 47% emissions intensity reduction; 60% clean power capacity; 3.5–4.0 billion tonne CO₂ carbon sink
- Second Global Stocktake: Scheduled at COP33 (2028) under Article 14, Paris Agreement
- COP31: Türkiye (2026); COP32: Ethiopia (2027); COP33: Asia-Pacific (2028 — host TBD)
- Remaining COP33 candidate: South Korea