#WhatTheCOPThe unofficial guide to COP31
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What is the Blue Zone at a COP, and how is it different from the Green Zone?

The short answer

The Blue Zone is the UN-managed venue where negotiations happen and you need accreditation to enter. The Green Zone is run by the host government and is open to the public after a free online registration.

Almost everything people picture when they think of a COP happens in the Blue Zone: the negotiating rooms, the delegation offices, and the pavilions. A badge is required, and badges come through a government delegation, an admitted organisation, the media, or the UN itself.

The Green Zone is the host country’s own programme. At Antalya it occupies the park and the buildings around the tower. Anyone can visit after registering online for free, except on 11 and 12 November, when it closes to visitors for the . In Belém, 700,000 people passed through the Green Zone in the two months before COP30 even opened.

Where this comes from
Next question
What is a pavilion at a COP?A pavilion is a space inside the Blue Zone that an organisation leases and programmes itself, running its own sessions for the full two weeks, separate from the official negotiations.How do I get accreditation for COP31?There are four routes into the Blue Zone: a government delegation, an admitted observer organisation, media accreditation, or the UN system itself. There is no way to buy a badge.