COP26 Climate Summit: Corporate sponsors decry forthcoming event as 'mismanaged'

The corporate companies that contributed millions of pounds to sponsor the COP26 climate summit have lambasted it as "mismanaged" and "very last minute" as the event in Glasgow approaches next month. The sponsors, which include some of the country's largest corporations, have filed formal complaints with the government, blaming "very inexperienced" civil servants for delayed decisions, poor communication, and a breakdown in relations between the organisers and firms in the run-up to the historic talks, reported The Guardian.

Concerns about these and other issues have been raised with the organisers in a letter written by broadcaster Sky and co-signed by senior leaders from other COP26 sponsors, reported the outlet. 

The UK's COP26 presidency is being led by former business secretary Alok Sharma, who is also the COP26 president, and businessman Nigel Topping, who was appointed the government's high-level climate change champion last year. Sponsorship is expected to assist cover a policing expense of up to £250 million. Along with Sky, the summit is being sponsored by ten other large firms, including Hitachi, National Grid, Scottish Power and SSE, US tech titan Microsoft, as well as FTSE companies GSK, Reckitt, NatWest, Sainsbury's and Unilever, according to The Guardian. 

Meanwhile, Unilever has stated that it did not sign the letter written by Sky. The car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover and the furniture merchant Ikea are among the lower-tier "partners." According to one of the sponsors' representatives, the lack of knowledge regarding how the event will work and the role of its significant donors are the biggest concern because essential issues have gone unanswered and planning choices have been postponed. "Due to COVID, they were given an extra year to prepare for COP, but it doesn't appear that the time was utilised to make further progress. Everything appears to be in hurry," he was quoted as saying by The Guardian. 

The COP26 climate summit set to be held in November

The forthcoming climate negotiations, which are seen as the world's last chance to get on track to fulfil its climate goals, are set to begin in early November after being postponed by a year owing to the outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020. In exchange for their assistance, the organisers of COP26 promised sponsors an "excellent opportunity" and "unique privileges," such as the option to display their goods in the conference's "green zone" exhibition space and the attendance of government ministers at their events. However, the companies have complained to the organisers in a number of emails and official letters about missed expectations and growing concerns about delays in the green zone plans, reported The Guardian. 

Image: Twitter/ @COP26