2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference
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| Date | 7 December 2009– 18 December 2009 |
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| Location | Bella Center, Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Also known as | COP15 |
| Participants | UNFCCC member countries |
| Website | Special Climate Change Issue |
The 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly known as the Copenhagen Summit, was held at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, Denmark, between 7 and 18 December. The conference included the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 5th Meeting of the Parties (MOP 5) to the . According to the Bali Road Map, a framework for climate change mitigation beyond 2012 was to be agreed there.
On Friday 18 December, the final day of the conference, international media reported that the climate talks were "in disarray". Media also reported that in lieu of a summit collapse, only a "weak political statement" was anticipated at the conclusion of the conference. The Copenhagen Accord was drafted by the United States, China, India, Brazil and South Africa on 18 December, and judged a "meaningful agreement" by the United States government. It was "taken note of", but not "adopted", in a debate of all the participating countries the next day, and it was not passed unanimously. The document recognised that climate change is one of the greatest challenges of the present day and that actions should be taken to keep any temperature increases to below 2 °C. The document is not legally binding and does not contain any legally binding commitments for reducing CO2 emissions.
In January 2014, documents leaked by Edward Snowden and published by Dagbladet Information revealed that the US government negotiators were in receipt of information during the conference that was being obtained by spying against other conference delegations. The US National Security Agency provided US delegates with advance details other delegations' positions, including the Danish plan to "rescue" the talks should they flounder. Members of the Danish negotiating team said that both the US and Chinese delegations were "peculiarly well-informed" about closed-door discussions: "They simply sat back, just as we had feared they would if they knew about our document."
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