UIC is participating in the 26th Conference of Parties (COP) in Glasgow, UK. The Conference of Parties will take place under the presidency of the Government of the UK from 31 October to 12 November 2021. UIC is accredited by the United Nations as a recognised organisation to participate in major global events such as COP. Rail is already the greenest form of transport and must be ready to take a greater share of passengers and freight by the end of the decade if we are to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement. As demonstrated by the UIC Climate Declaration, signed by 35 members, railways are already taking innovative action to achieve net zero before 2050. As official COP observers, UIC representatives will act as the voice of the global rail community at COP and promote the importance of rail in mitigating climate change.

On Saturday 30 October, the UIC delegation will travel by rail to Glasgow with the ‘Rail to the COP’, kicking off a packed fortnight of fringe and side events. Onboard the train from Amsterdam, courtesy of ProRail, NS and Eurostar, UIC will lead workshops, engaging the other COP delegates in an ‘on track ideathon’, where the question ‘How might we design better future mobility?’ will be discussed. UIC Director General François Davenne will depart from Paris on the Eurostar with the SNCF-supported service, where he will give a speech on the future of rail to the dedicated carriage, to include delegates from NGOs, youth groups and the IPCC.

The delegation will complete its journey on the dedicated Avanti service from London to Glasgow. These trains will celebrate rail as the greenest collective mode of transport and their critical role in achieving the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
More information on UIC’s programmes for COP is available at https://uic.org/events/uic-at-cop26#COP26-UIC-s-programme