COP Co-Opted? How Corruption and Undue Influence Threaten Multilateral Climate Action

Florian Hollenbach has co-authored a new report on the risks that UN climate conferences are undermined and co-opted by fossil fuel interests and corporate influence. In advance of the UN climate summit COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November 2024, the Anti-Corruption Data Collective, in partnership with Transparency International, published an extensive report about threats to the integrity of climate conferences. The report highlights the systemic vulnerabilities in how UN climate conferences are currently organized. This November, COP29 is hosted and organized by Azerbaijan, an autocratic country with a large, state operated fossil fuels sector, and severe levels of public sector corruption. The report outlines the dangers of COP being mis-used for fossil fuels deal making, self-enrichment, and greenwashing and provides recommendations to prevent future COPs from being co-opted.