Ethiopia Beats Nigeria To Host 2027 UN Climate Summit As Bureau Backs Addis-Ababa
Ethiopia Beats Nigeria To Host 2027 UN Climate Summit As Bureau Backs Addis-Ababa
Ethiopia launched its campaign to host the conference in September 2025, going head-to-head with Nigeria, which had also expressed interest.
Ethiopia has been selected as the host country for the 2027 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP32), defeating Nigeria in a closely contested bid, according to a report by Reuters.
Delegates at the ongoing COP30 in Belem, Brazil, on Monday, agreed to advance Addis-Ababa as Africa’s candidate to host the global climate summit, following a unanimous resolution by the Bureau of African Countries to back Ethiopia’s bid over Nigeria’s.
Ethiopia launched its campaign to host the conference in September 2025, going head-to-head with Nigeria, which had also expressed interest.
The move is expected to be formally adopted on Tuesday, Reuters quoted André Corrêa do Lago, the President of COP30, as saying.
“Ethiopia is set to be confirmed on Tuesday as host of the COP32 climate summit in 2027,” Corrêa do Lago said.
The report noted that while the African bloc swiftly reached a consensus on Ethiopia, the decision on the 2026 COP31 remains unresolved, with Australia and Turkey locked in a prolonged contest.
Australia has pitched its bid in partnership with the Pacific Island nations, considered among the most climate-vulnerable regions in the world. However, the lack of consensus has stalled the selection process within the Western Europe and Others Group (WEOG).
Corrêa do Lago on Monday appealed to the WEOG countries to urgently break their deadlock, warning that if no agreement is reached soon, Bonn, Germany—home to the UNFCCC Secretariat—could host the 2026 summit by default.
The COP conferences traditionally rotate between regional groups across the globe. This year’s edition is taking place in Belem, deep in the Amazon rainforest, a region symbolic of the planet’s struggle against deforestation and climate change.
Ethiopia’s victory marks the first time East Africa will host the high-profile UN climate summit, signaling the continent’s growing assertiveness in shaping global climate policy debates.
