United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international environmental treaty adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and entered into force in 1994. It establishes a framework for international cooperation to limit greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. Nearly all states are parties to the convention. The UNFCCC provides the institutional basis for subsequent agreements, including the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, and convenes the annual Conference of the Parties (COP). Its secretariat, headquartered in Bonn, Germany, supports negotiations, maintains national emissions inventories and reporting systems, and facilitates implementation. The convention itself does not impose binding emissions limits; those are negotiated through associated protocols and agreements.