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Pope and King Charles III to attend Cop28

By Sarah Townsend
The UK's King Charles III will give an opening address at Cop28 later this month Reuters/Chris Jackson
The UK's King Charles III will give an opening address at Cop28 later this month
  • First Cop visit by Roman Catholic leader
  • King to open World Climate Action summit
  • He delivered addresses at Cops 21 and 26

The Pope and the UK monarch are due to attend the Cop28 climate change summit in Dubai next month, according to statements. 

King Charles III will attend the opening ceremony of the World Climate Action Summit at Cop28 on December 1 at the invitation of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and at the request of the UK government, his office announced.

Pope Francis told Italian television in an interview that he expected to be in Dubai from 1 to 3 December, the first time that a head of the Roman Catholic church has attended a climate summit. 

Last month the pope issued an official document expressing concern over what he said was the slow pace of the transition to sustainable energy.

King Charles is to deliver an opening address at the summit and meet regional leaders ahead of Cop28, the UK statement said. 

The United Nations Cop28 climate change conference, hosted by the UAE this year, begins on November 30 and continues for two weeks until December 12. 

King Charles is also due to attend a reception on November 30 to launch the inaugural Cop28 Business and Philanthropy Climate Forum. 

The two-day forum, which will run in parallel with the World Climate Action Summit, is being hosted by the Cop28 presidency in partnership with the global Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI), which was set up by the king when he was Prince Charles, during the 2020 World Economic Forum in Davos. 

King Charles III is well known for his commitment over the past 50 years in championing sustainability and environmental protection.

As the Prince of Wales, he previously delivered the opening addresses at Cop26 in Glasgow in 2021 and Cop21 in Paris in 2015.

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