As the Climate Summit's Conference in Glasgow is ready to commence on 31 October, the corporate sponsors of Cop26 have condemned the "very inexperienced" civil servants for their "mismanagement".
The companies are reportedly disappointed by the preparations for the Summit in Glasgow. While the UK's presidency of Cop26 is being run under the leadership of former business secretary and president of Cop26 Alok Sharma and Nigel Topping, the British government's climate action champion, the sponsor companies are unhappy with how the planning has progressed inspite of an extra year to prepare for it. The summit was postponed due to the outbreak of the pandemic.
A letter to the organisers has been sent by British broadcaster Sky, said to also have been signed by GSK and Microsoft, raising concerns over delayed decisions and poor communications. Unilever, another major sponsor, has denied signing the letter. A previous letter cosigned by some of the sponsors was sent with complaints in July, The Guardian reported.
Other sponsors to the summit include Hitachi, Ikea, Jaguar, Nat West Reckitt, and Scottish Power.
The companies are reportedly "frustrated" by the lack of information about how the event will run. The sponsors were reportedly promised benefits in exchange for their support and chance to promote their brands at the "green zone" exhibition. They have raised complaints about the organisers not meeting demands previously agreed upon.
"It’s clear that many of them have very little experience managing relationships in the private sector, or even experience attending a Cop event," a source told The Guardian.
It has also been reported that the rising costs is another issue the organisers are tackling. The organisers maintained that they are working "closely" with the sponsors to reduce cost and give the tax payers their value for money.
The conference is scheduled to take place from 31 October to 12 November 2021.
(With inputs from the Guardian.)
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