COP 26

UPDATE Nov 12: COP26 will continue into Saturday, November 13.

The Presidency has announced that it intends to make a new text available at 8am Nov 13 and convene a short, informal plenary no earlier than 10am (NOW updated to 12noon-2pm), at which these documents will be introduced and next steps will be proposed. It then plans to hold formal plenaries in the afternoon and close sometime on Saturday.

The Secretariat has announced that observer access to the closing plenaries will be limited. RINGO has 1 secondary badge for Plenary Room 1 (Pen Y Fan) and 3 secondary badges for Plenary Room 2 (Cairn Gorm) to distribute to members who attend the daily coordination meeting. In addition, a “10-min rule” will be in place tomorrow for the plenary sessions. This basically means that:

  1. Security will first let in all the access card holders (those plastic secondary badges) into the Plenary.
  2. Security will then wait until 10 mins from the start of the meeting and, if there are still empty seats in the observer areas, including IGOs and UN seats, they will let in observers without access cards.
  3. While NGOs can sit at IGO or UN seats if they are available, if representatives of those IGO/UN bodies show up, please immediately vacate the seats for them.
  4. Note: ONLY PARTIES CAN SIT IN THE SEATS AT THE TABLE MARKED WITH PARTY PLACARDS, AND IN THE +1 SEATS DIRECTLY BEHIND THOSE TABLE SEATS. PLEASE, do not sits in these seats. This breach of protocol could affect you and your badge, your delegation’s accreditation, and the greater ability of observers to be in the room. Thank you!

RINGO Meeting Saturday 13 November at 2pm, directly after currently scheduled 12-2pm informal plenary

Given the timing of the new decision text drafts and the short, informal plenary (which will be live broadcasted on UNFCCC site and on the COP26 platform, so you may watch without being in the room), RINGO will postpone its daily coordination meeting until 2pm or directly after the currently schedule 12-2pm informal plenary closes. Please meet at the cafe next to the Plenary Rooms.):: :

Tickets and access to events

All tickets or access allocations for each day will be done daily at the RINGO meeting. If you would like a ticket or access to an event with restricted access, then attend the daily RINGO meeting. RINGO meetings are held daily at 0900. Please see below for meeting locations. Onsite RINGO steering committee members are the only ones who are allowed to pick tickets up from the Secretariat.  Onsite RINGO steering committee members have final say in ticket distribution/access allocation.  

Please do not email/call/text the constituency focal points about tickets or access.  Tickets will be distributed as above.

This page is the main repository of information for RINGOS for COP26.  More details will be added here as they become available.  Last minute updates (ie meeting location change or new meeting added and occurring in the next few hours) will be posted on the COP 26 Opportunities and Updates page as well as posted as a new blog entry.  To subscribe to the blog entries so that you will receive an email with the new post, please see the information on the right hand panel.   Note – edits to this post will not generate an email – so please plan on checking this regularly.  

Key Information for RINGOs

RINGO Constituency Coordination Meeting

RINGO will meet the following mornings at 0900 – 0945. Location is in Strangford Lough (Side Event Room 2). Note the meeting Friday, November 12, will be in MR 8. These meetings may also be available via webcast.

  • October 31
  • November 3 – 6
  • November 8 – MR 8 – **NOTE – Different location** MR 8 is located in ZONE F, further from Main Entrance than our first week meeting room in Strangford Lough in Zone C.
  • November 9 – 11 => BACK IN THE ORIGINAL MEETING ROOM, Strangford Lough (Side Event Room 2)
  • November 12 – MR 8 – **NOTE – Different location** MR 8 is located in ZONE F, further from Main Entrance than our the meeting room in Strangford Lough in Zone C.

NOTE: There will be no constituency coordination meetings on Monday and Tuesday, November 1-2, due to room capacity contraints associated with the World Leaders Summit (WLS), which is also referred to as the first part of the High Level Segment (HLS).

These daily meetings are intended to provide a platform of discussion about the ongoing negotiations, as well as facilitate networking and provide the opportunity to share research results.  Constituency meetings are not posted on the daily schedule after the first day, but the date and time remain the same unless otherwise indicated.

During daily coordination meetings, RINGO features daily updates on the negotiations as well as an opportunity for community building.  We invite guest experts to provide more detail on negation topics.  Our COP 26 schedule is:

  • Sunday, October 31
    • Welcome and orientation
  • Wednesday, November 3: 
    • Welcome and orientation
  • Thursday, November 4:
    • Negotiations update
  • Friday, November 5:
    • TBD
  • Saturday, November 6:
    • Negotiations update
  • Monday, November 8:
    • Welcome to week 2 and orientation
  • Tuesday, November 9:
    • Article 6 Update (and background) – RINGO Steering Committee Member,  Axel Michaelowa, University of Zurich/Perspectives
  • Wednesday, November 10
    • TBD
  • Thursday, November 11
  • Friday, November 12:
    • Negotiation updates, conversation, and networking

Travel to COP26 and Entrance to the Venue

Due to Covid, the COP26 Presidency is taking a wide range of sanitary precautions, from vaccines, travel, and quarantine measures to testing and hygiene standards. The Presidency is requiring all delegates to follow a code of conduct that includes new requirements related to Covid.

This website provides a full and evolving list of guidance from the UK Presidency about attending COP26 in Glasgow. Read it overall before researching a specific issue.

In summary the rules are:

  • everyone must be able to show evidence of pre-arrival COVID-19 negative test result
  • everyone must complete a Passenger Locator Form (PLF)
  • everyone must participate in the COP26 daily test programme
  • anyone who has been in a red-list country or territory in the 10 days immediately prior to arrival into England or Scotland (see current list) must undergo Managed Quarantine at port of entry. Delegates that are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 must quarantine for 5 days.  Unvaccinated delegates must quarantine for 10 days.  A bespoke booking process is in place for COP26 attendees, and you must be registered on the UNFCCC website to begin the process of booking. Further guidance is now available.
  • if you have not been in a red list country or territory, you do not have to quarantine

Due to Covid safety protocols, COP26 delegates must follow the rules for travel to Glasgow outlined in this publication, Planning Your Journey to COP26, dated October 22, 2021. A set of FAQs based on this publication is also provided. In both, you’ll find specific guidance about pre-departure and post-arrival Covid testing that depends on your vaccination status and presence in a red-list country during the 10 days before arriving in the UK. Please read them closely, to determine what you need to do based on your individual circumstances.

Likewise, the Covid safety protocols require delegates to follow closely the rules for entering the SEC, the venue for COP26. Again, these can be found in the Planning Your Journey to COP26. These include daily lateral flow device (LFD) tests that must be done and negative results reported before being admitted to the venue. More recent and detailed guidance on testing outlines specifics, like where you can obtain these self-administered tests. Please note that all testing done within the UK is being provided to COP26 delegates by the UK Government. Delegates do not need to purchase these separately.

The UNFCCC Secretariat highlights two frequently asked questions by those reading these documents. If you have more questions, please direct them to the Secretariat. RINGO cannot answer them for you.

PLEASE NOTE: Neither RINGO nor the UNFCCC Secretariat will be able to respond to an individual delegate’s difficulties traveling to COP26. But the UK Presidency has stated that “If you experience a problem that is not covered in the guidance and need urgent assistance then please contact the following mailbox: cop26travel@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.”

Registration (Getting your badge)

Please note – the following is taken from the COP 26 website as a courtesy. Please consult the website with any questions or clarifications needed.

COP26 Platform

The COP 26 Platform is a web-based app made to support your COP experience. You will be able to personalise your meeting schedule, network with other participants and view sessions on demand. Please note that all delegates, whether you are attending virtual or in person should register on the COP 26 Platform.

To get started and for more details, visit the webpage here: https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/conferences/glasgow-climate-change-conference/get-cop-ready

Collecting conference badges

To be issued a conference badge, all participants must be duly registered.

Upon arrival at the venue for the first time, you will be requested to proceed to the registration desk to collect your badge for access to the conference premises. The acknowledgement letter for the participant’s nomination, available upon confirmation in the online registration system, and a valid passport or a nationally approved identification card should be presented to the registration staff for the issuance of your badge.

For subsequent visits to the venue, once you have a badge, you may access the venue directly through security, without stopping at the registration desk.

NOTE: Entrance to the venue, including to get your badge, requires follow the Covid testing protocols.

Once the badge has been activated, the record cannot be deleted from the database.

Registration desk opening hours

  • Friday, 29 October: 08:00 – 19:00 hrs
  • Saturday, 30 October: 08:00 – 19:00 hrs
  • Sunday, 31 October: 08:00 – 21:00 hrs
  • Monday, 1 November:
    For Parties, United Nations and IGOs: 06:30 – 19:00 hrs
    *******For NGOs – Registration is suspended until 14:00 hrs********
  • From Monday, 2 November to Saturday, 6 November: 08:00 – 19:00 hrs
  • Sunday, 7 November: The conference venue, including registration, will be closed.
  • From Monday, 8 November to Friday, 12 November: 08:00 – 19:00 hrs

Virtual Attendance

Due to Covid, much of COP26’s sessions and events will be available on-line.  Some may be livestreamed, but most sessions will require being badged to enter the virtual platform.  The UNFCCC Secretariat has stated that virtual badges will count within your delegation’s current quota. So, for example, if your quota is 4 and two of your delegates will attend in person, you then may use the remaining 2 badges to have your delegates attend COP26 virtually via the COP26 platform. If you are not your delegation’s Designated Contact Person (DCP), please contact them directly to secure your virtual badge. RINGO does not play a role in this internal delegation process and does not have badges to allocate.

DCPs:  Virtual attendance is available.  For a delegate to attend virtually, they will need to have a badge from your organization and be part of your quota. Information to login and access the platform can be found here: https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/conferences/glasgow-climate-change-conference/get-cop-ready#eq-3 Note: Even if the delegate is attending virtually, the DCP will need to have passport number and vaccine manufacturer information and confirm them in the ORS system just as if they were attending in person.

Executive Secretary and SB Chairs Briefings with observer organizations

Briefings with observer organizations will be posted on the COP 26 Opportunities and Updates page.

Tickets for limited access meetings

If an informal session or other session requires tickets or access is limited, information on ticket access and distribution will be posted on the  COP 26 Opportunities and Updates.  

Meeting notes from constituency members

It is impossible to be everywhere at COP or to even be there at all!  To support one another, RINGO members are often willing to share notes from meetings they attend.  Please email notes that you are able to contribute to notes@ringofocalpoint.org. Meeting notes will be posted on the COP 26 notes page as they become available.

Side Events and Exhibits

Note: Because of the large number of side events and exhibits organized by our members, we are unable to promote individual side events on this page.  Please see the UNFCCC side events webpage for a schedule of side events and the UNFCCC exhibits page for a list of exhibits.

Side Events Webcast Page: Side Events will be broadcast live at the time and date indicated (CET), and are available to view on demand for a limited time after the event.

Research Into Practice Day

The RINGO Steering Committee is delighted to announced that Wednesday 10 November is  Research into Practice thematic day. 

A majority of the side events occurring on Wednesday 10 November feature this theme and highlight ways critical research can be linked to practice to advance climate action.

On Tuesday, November 9, the UK COP26 Presidency has organized Science and Innovation Day in the UK pavilion featuring a number of side events. Here is the schedule. RINGO encourages members to attend sessions on both days.

In addition, there is a Science Pavilion at COP26 convened by the IPCC, WMO, and Met Office. Here is the programme. The Pavilion is in the Blue Zone, near the UK pavilion. The Science Pavilion welcomes RINGO attendees visiting in person and virtually: many events can be seen live through streaming options (available to the public). Please note that those convened by the Met Office can be seen on their YouTube channel, as described on the programme link above.

RINGO Interventions/Statements

Observer constituencies are asked to deliver statements in plenary sessions at the opening and closing of each body, i.e. COP/CMP/CMA and SBI and SBSTA, and at the High Level Segments, including the World Leaders Summit (WLS) on November 1-2. RINGO’s statements are on behalf of the RINGO constituency and do not favor or feature one particular member’s interests.  RINGO forms committees to write and deliver these statements, usually at our daily coordination meetings.

The COP26 First Week RINGO Statement Committee will be co-chaired by Melissa Low (esimlyx@nus.edu.sg) and Gregg Walker (walkprof@gmail.com), with Steering Committee Members Diane Husic and Marilyn Averill serving on the Committee.  Because we will only have one RINGO coordination meeting before the opening statements are due, drafting of this statement will take place virtually.  Please contact Co-Chairs Low and Walker if you are interested in drafting with the Committee. 

The COP26 Second Week RINGO Statement Committee will be co-chaired by Melissa Low (esimlyx@nus.edu.sg) and Gaston Meskens (gaston.meskens@theacademia.org), with Steering Committee Members Diane Husic and Marilyn Averill serving on the Committee.  Because we will have many daily coordination meetings for working with additional committee members, this committee will do most of its work on-site at the COP. Attend a RINGO daily coordination meeting to learn how to contribute to this committee’s work.

COP26 Logistics Briefing for Observers on October 22, 2021

If you missed this briefing, the UNFCCC Secretariat has made both the PPT slides and the recording available.