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Transparency International Welcomes UN Climate Registration Updates, Calls for Further Reform

Transparency International welcomes the recent enhancements introduced by the UN Climate Change Body (UNFCCC) to its registration system ahead of COP30. These reforms represent an important step towards greater accountability, including new transparency commitments for observers and participants. They come in response to sustained calls from civil society organisations and coalitions demanding more openness in climate negotiations.

However, while these measures signal progress in disclosing who participates in the negotiations, who supports them, and for what purpose, their voluntary nature limits their effectiveness. Most importantly, the new transparency rules focus primarily on observers, but since state delegates often continue to conceal their affiliations, this change alone cannot ensure full accountability at COP.

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

“Stronger reforms are urgently needed: binding conflict-of-interest rules, mandatory disclosure of funding sources and affiliations, and credible enforcement mechanisms. To this end, Transparency International has written to national delegations ahead of COP30, urging them to commit to an integrity pledge that would help limit the influence of big polluters and reinforce the credibility of the process.”

Renato Morgado, Programme manager at Transparency International Brazil, said:

“While some progress deserves recognition, Brazil has recently launched a public call for applications to join its official COP30 delegation without implementing mechanisms to manage or ensure transparency around conflicts of interest. There is still time to strengthen transparency and integrity measures so that Brazil’s COP30 can set a benchmark for future editions of the conference.”

Transparency International calls on the UNFCCC secretariat, the COP30 Presidency, and all participants to adopt these reforms to rebuild trust, protect climate talks from undue influence, and ensure fair representation of those most affected by the climate crisis.

For more information please contact: [email protected]

Notes to editors:

  • Transparency International’s full Integrity pledge for National Delegations to COP is available here.
  • Transparency International’s June report, Behind the Badge: Understanding the roles, reach, and risks of fossil fuel industry participation in UN climate talks, revealed how the scale and nature of fossil fuel industry participation in UN climate negotiations is raising questions about the integrity of the process.
  • Open letter signed by 250+ organisations calling for the fossil fuel lobby to be excluded from COP30, March 2025.