India has withdrawn its bid to host the 2028 COP33 climate summit, sources told AFP on Wednesday.A government source and another source familiar with the talks confirmed a report by Climate Home News that India had quietly dropped out.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had proposed India as host country in 2023.
The withdrawal -- the reasons for which were not specified -- has not yet been officially announced by the Indian government.
Harjeet Singh, an Indian climate activist and COP veteran, lamented the move as a "strategic missed opportunity" to champion the Global South.
"The global climate narrative must be framed around the needs of the developing world," Singh, director of the Satat Sampada Foundation, added in a statement.
India previously hosted COP8 in New Delhi in 2002. Its selection to host another COP would have required the agreement of other nations within the Asian bloc.
The annual climate gatherings, held under the auspices of the UN, rotate among regional blocs, which must reach a consensus on a host candidate.
This year's COP31 is scheduled to take place in Turkey, followed by COP32 in Ethiopia in 2027.
It remains to be seen which Asian country might host COP33 following India's withdrawal, and whether South Korea -- which had previously expressed interest -- is still prepared to organize the event.
