# Behind the badge: Understanding the roles, reach, and risks of fossil fuel industry participation in UN climate talks URL: https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/behind-the-badge-understanding-roles-reach-risks-of-fossil-fuel-industry-participation-un-climate-talks Type: Publication or report Published: 2025-06-17 Updated: 2026-07-03 --- 17 June 2025 As the climate crisis intensifies, international negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) remain central to shaping collective action. However, the growing presence of fossil fuel interests at the heart of these talks raises urgent questions about the integrity of the process. This working paper by Transparency International sheds light on the scale and nature of fossil fuel industry participation in UN climate negotiations. It offers a data-driven analysis of who is attending COPs, how they gain access, and the potential risks their involvement poses to ambitious climate action. Furthermore, the analysis identifies key channels of influence, from Party badges and overflow passes to observer organisations and COP presidencies and calls for systemic reforms to safeguard the integrity of climate governance. As COP30 approaches, *Behind the Badge* provides a timely roadmap for reforming climate negotiations to ensure they serve the public good, not private profit. ### Related publications ## [Annual Report 2025](https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/annual-report-2025) Publication • 17 July 2026 In 2025, Transparency International pursued its mission to stop corruption and promote transparency, accountability and integrity at all levels and across all sectors of society. ## [Enabler Accountability: Assessing Measures Taken against Professionals Implicated in Cases of Illicit Financial Flows from Africa](https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/enabler-accountability-illicit-financial-flows-africa) Publication • 31 March 2026 How often are enablers of illicit financial flows held to account? We examine criminal and administrative action, enforcement gaps and priorities for reform. ## [Digital disclosure of political finance in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean](https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/digital-disclosure-political-finance-africa-asia-pacific-latin-america-caribbean) Publication • 06 November 2025 This study reviews the approaches to digital disclosure of political party and candidate finance in three regions. ## [Fuelling Delay: How fossil fuel interests shape global climate negotiations](https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/fuelling-delay-how-fossil-fuel-interests-shape-global-climate-negotiations) Publication • 30 October 2025 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… ## Priorities - [Climate crisis](https://www.transparency.org/en/our-priorities/climate-crisis) ## Projects - [Climate Governance Integrity Programme](https://www.transparency.org/en/projects/climate-governance-integrity-programme) - [Towards Inclusive Governance for Forest Carbon Markets](https://www.transparency.org/en/projects/towards-inclusive-governance-for-forest-carbon-markets) ![Cover image showing an industrial town on the left and a countryside village on the right, with two hands hovering above them. The hand above the industrial town has got notes stuffed up its sleeve and it's placing a factory down onto the town, whereas the hand above the village doesn't have any money up its sleeve and is placing a tree be down.](https://images.transparencycdn.org/images/Working-paper.png?auto=compress&fit=crop&fm=webp&w=1200) [Download](https://images.transparencycdn.org/images/2506_Report_Behind-the-Badge.pdf)