Govt withdraws bid to host UN climate summit in 2028

India has officially confirmed it has pulled out of its bid to host the COP33 climate summit in 2028, with Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirming the withdrawal during a weekly press briefing.

"Yes, India has withdrawn. There are several issues we have taken into account. But India remains fully committed to meeting its climate change commitments," said Jaiswal. "We continue to build on our green agenda and, at the same time, see how we can best foster great climate change action worldwide with our international partners."

The move to withdraw from hosting the global summit has drawn scrutiny from climate observers and cast a shadow over the country's standing as a global climate leader.

PROMISE MADE, PROMISE BROKEN

The withdrawal marks a significant reversal of a pledge made by India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had publicly proposed hosting the summit at COP28 in Dubai in 2023.

The exact reason behind the withdrawal remains unclear. During the briefing, Jaiswal instructed people to seek specifics from the Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change.

The ministry has not yet responded to the questions posed by IndiaToday.in.

The announcement had been widely seen as a bold move positioning India as the leader of the Global South on climate matters.

In July 2024, the BRICS grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa had even welcomed India's candidacy in a joint statement. Back home, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change had even established a dedicated COP33 Cell in July 2025 to manage the professional and logistical requirements of the summit.

Then, the plan collapsed.

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

The fallout from this decision goes beyond just losing an event. India's decision to withdraw is expected to be a setback for climate action both domestically and globally, with deeper concerns now surfacing about India's climate credibility.

The country had already missed two deadlines last year to submit its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for 2035, placing it among 76 UNFCCC member nations that failed to meet the requirement, before finally announcing updated goals in March 2026.

PM Modi has also not attended the last two COP summits, sending ministers in his place.

The timing stings particularly hard given that India had used last year's COP30 to openly criticise developed nations for failing to deliver on climate finance promises, emerging as a potential champion for developing economies on the climate frontline.

For a country that has made renewable energy a cornerstone of its global identity, walking away from the world's biggest climate forum without so much as a press conference raises uncomfortable questions about where India's climate ambitions truly stand.

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