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Transparency concerns at COP30: Over half of delegates’ affiliations remain unclear

While COP30 shows signs of procedural improvements including the publication of a more comprehensive participant list and updated guidance for observers, a closer look at the UNFCCC’s official list of registered participants (see Provisional list of registered participants: on-site participants | UNFCCC) reveals concerning gaps in transparency:

  • 54 per cent of participants in national delegations either did not disclose the type of affiliation they have or selected a vague category such as “Guest” or “Other.”
  • Several national delegations - including Russia, Tanzania, South Africa, and Mexico - did not disclose the affiliation of any of their delegates holding a Party badge, highlighting a worrying lack of transparency even at the country level.
  • Multiple high polluters are included as guests in the Presidency’s ‘Host Country Delegation’.

Maíra Martini, CEO of Transparency International, said:

“President Lula has called for a COP of truth, but there can be no truth without transparency. At COP29, our analysis showed that nearly one in six participants failed to disclose details of their affiliations, with many linked to fossil fuel interests. This pattern is repeating at COP30, with more than half of all delegation members withholding or obscuring their affiliations, threatening to undermine trust and tilt decisions away from the needs of people and the planet.”

Brice Böhmer, Climate and Environment Lead at Transparency International said:

“Transparency is the cornerstone of trust in global climate negotiations. Yet, at COP30, thousands of delegates still do not share enough information, most from within national delegations. If COP30 is indeed the COP of truth, the Presidency and the UNFCCC Secretariat should now commit to reviewing and strengthening participant disclosure rules ahead of future summits, ensuring integrity and accountability at every level.”

Opacity within national delegations risks concealing conflicts of interest that work against the goals of the Paris Agreement. This lack of transparency ultimately undermines public trust in the COP process.

Transparency International urges the COP30 Presidency and the UNFCCC Secretariat to:

  • Require full and verifiable disclosure of delegate affiliations.
  • Tighten participant registration and affiliation visibility onsite.
  • Embed transparency as a core standard for Party and observer participation.
  • Ensure that representatives from the fossil fuel industry are excluded from national delegations and from shaping climate negotiations, to prevent conflicts of interest and protect the integrity of the COP process.

Notes to editors:

  • Transparency International’s recent report Fuelling Delay draws on 39 interviews with climate negotiators, UNFCCC observers, and researchers, complemented by field observations from COP29 in Baku and the 2025 Bonn mid-year talks.

For more information and interview requests, please contact: [email protected]