Applications Accepted for United Nations 2024 Climate Conference Episcopal Delegation

Applications for the Episcopal Church’s delegation to the 2024 United Nations climate change conference, COP29, are now open. The Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry, has invited all Episcopalians aged 18 and older to apply to serve as delegates—either in person or virtually—at the event scheduled for November 11-22 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Applications, available in English and Spanish online, must be submitted by 5 p.m. ET on May 6.

Since 2015, the Episcopal Church has sent delegates to the annual Conference of the Parties (COP) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This year’s COP29 will mark the 29th session of the convention, which was established in 1992 to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions. Nearly 200 nations have joined the agreement.

Episcopal delegates will participate in two to five hours of events daily and focus on a specific climate issue during the negotiations. They will also have the opportunity to speak at Episcopal Church COP events and share their experiences through blog posts.

“Engaging with the United Nations is an opportunity for Episcopalians to voice our moral opposition to the destruction of the environment, and our support for the communities most badly hurt by the climate crisis,” said the Rt. Rev. Marc Andrus, head of The Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop’s Delegation to COP29. “While the time we are in is urgent, it is also the time of greatest possibility for climate action; the window for consequential climate action is still more than half-open, through the end of this decade.”

In October 2023, the church’s Executive Council passed a resolution supporting the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty initiative, which was developed by Pacific nations and endorsed by the European Parliament and World Health Organization, among many others.

Youth and young adults (ages 18-40), members of Black and Indigenous communities, people of color, LGBTQ+ Episcopalians, Episcopalians with disabilities, and those on the frontline of climate change are especially encouraged to apply. The presiding bishop is expected to announce his nominations by the start of June.

The delegation will be guided by The Episcopal Church’s offices of Global Partnerships, Government Relations, and Creation Care. Delegates will meet monthly via videoconferencing ahead of COP29 and daily throughout the November event.

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