Ethiopia and the African Union collaborate to organize an exceptional African Conference of the Parties.

The African Union (AU) is a continental organization established in 2002, succeeding the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) founded in 1963. Its primary aims are to promote unity, peace, and socio-economic development across Africa, while addressing challenges like conflict and governance. The AU is headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and plays a key role in continental diplomacy and collective security.

The African Union Commission is the executive and administrative body of the African Union (AU), headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It was officially launched in 2002 as the successor to the Secretariat of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), which was founded in 1963 to promote unity and decolonization on the continent. Today, the Commission coordinates AU activities and policies aimed at achieving greater political and economic integration, peace, and development across Africa.

Ethiopia is a historically rich nation in the Horn of Africa, widely considered one of the oldest sites of human existence and home to the ancient Aksumite Kingdom. It is unique as the only African country to have never been permanently colonized, maintaining its sovereignty through the colonial era. Its cultural heritage includes rock-hewn churches in Lalibela, medieval castles in Gondar, and being home to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, one of the world’s oldest Christian traditions.

The African Conference of the Parties (COP) is not a specific physical place or cultural site, but a major recurring diplomatic and political conference. It is the regional African preparatory meeting for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP), where African nations coordinate their positions and strategies on climate action. These meetings highlight the continent’s unified voice on issues like climate finance and adaptation, given Africa’s high vulnerability to climate impacts despite its low historical emissions.

The Conference of the Parties (COP32) is a future, yet-to-be-scheduled United Nations climate change summit, which will be the 32nd annual session of the governing body for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). As part of a series that began in 1995, including landmark meetings like COP21 (Paris Agreement), COP32 will convene world leaders to negotiate international agreements and actions aimed at mitigating global warming and adapting to its impacts.