Press Release
Dhaka, 25 September 2025: Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has called upon the representatives of the Government of Bangladesh to play a robust role in resisting the unethical influence tainted by conflicts of interest from fossil fuel lobbies and corporations at the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) to be held in Brazil. TIB also expects Bangladesh to actively participate in effective coordinated initiatives alongside forces advocating to keep the climate conference free from the influence of fossil fuel lobbyists.
Transparency International (TI) and over 260 national and international organizations have issued an open letter to this year’s host country, Brazil, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), demanding integrity in their operations and the exclusion of fossil fuel lobbyists from the negotiations and decision-making processes of the upcoming conference. In solidarity with this international demand, TIB urges the Bangladesh government representatives at COP30 to remain vigilant against the unethical influence of fossil fuel companies and to actively participate in international efforts to resist them.
TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman said, “We expect the Bangladesh delegation to prioritize national interests and take a firm stance against the influence of the fossil fuel lobby. Simultaneously, we call upon the potential members of the Bangladesh delegation to take a leading role in actively cooperating with the UNFCCC, the host country Brazil, and other like-minded parties to counter the unethical influence of fossil fuel lobbyists.”
He further stated, “We hope that the Bangladesh delegation for the upcoming climate conference will consist only of members who possess expertise and experience in the expansion of renewable energy and are committed to remaining free from the unethical influence of any fossil fuel lobby.”
Global civil society is deeply concerned about the growing unethical influence of fossil fuel lobbyists at UN climate conferences. At the recent COP29 conference held in Azerbaijan, 1,770 fossil fuel lobbyists were present, 339 of whom were officially registered as government representatives or national negotiators. These representatives were granted special access to the main negotiation rooms and closed-door meetings. Additionally, 867 individuals were issued government-sanctioned “Party Overflow” badges, a large portion of whom represented fossil fuel corporations. Through this process, many individuals representing the fossil fuel lobby—beyond the allocated government delegation members—were granted access to the conference as government representatives. This excessive presence and special access for fossil fuel lobbyists are influencing conference decisions and calling into question the management and integrity of the summit process.
In recent climate conferences, fossil fuel lobbyists have attempted to disrupt global efforts to curb climate change, such as banning coal and taking ambitious steps to promote renewable energy. Due to the unethical influence of the fossil fuel lobby, landmark global decisions like the “coal phase-out” have not been successfully adopted. Furthermore, representatives of global oil and gas companies have already managed to influence and obstruct other decision-making processes related to carbon emission reductions.
TIB expects that COP30 will not suffer from the same setbacks and will succeed in thwarting the conspiracies of the fossil fuel lobby, thereby achieving the conference's core objectives, including the coal phase-out and the transition to renewable energy.
Media Contact:
Mohammad Tauhidul Islam
Director, Outreach and Communication
Phone: 01713-107868
E-mail: tauhidul@ti-bangladesh.org
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