India has withdrawn its offer to host the COP33 climate summit in 2028, which was formally claimed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a global meeting three years ago, with the backing of several frontline countries.

The information was first shared by Climate Home News on Wednesday, which was subsequently verified by The Telegraph independently from several sources, who wished to remain unidentified. The withdrawal came as a surprise, as India had been using the proposed COP to position itself as the leader of the Global South in climate matters.

An Indian communication intimated that India is withdrawing its candidacy on April 2, in a letter addressed to the chair of the Asia-Pacific Group, stating that the offer stands withdrawn “following a review of its commitments for the year 2028.”

India formally staked its claim during the Dubai climate summit in 2023. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his plenary lecture at the summit on December 01, 2023, said, “India is committed to the UN Framework for Climate Change Process … Therefore, today I also propose from this platform to host the COP-33 summit in India in 2028.”

Subsequently, the Indian government formed a high-power cell to oversee the organisation of the proposed COP. Incidentally, India had organised a climate COP only once in 2002.

Senior officials from the ministry confirmed the development. “I also heard about the decision. Actually, the government was mulling on the withdrawal for quite some time,” one of the sources said.

Asked about the reason for withdrawal, the official said the government plans to organise a few other big-ticket events during the time, about a year before the next Parliament election, and does not want to get sucked into organising the COP.

“Maybe India believes the COP will bring additional pressure on the country to deliver more on the climate front, which it does not want,” added another source.