Only 17% of the Indian delegation at the recently concluded COP26 climate summit were women. This proportion is lower than 169 other countries of the 195 that attended. Since the first COP summit in 1995, India has sent four all-male delegations (COP3, COP5, COP6.2 and COP7). The proportion of women in the Indian delegation, at 33%, was highest during COP23 and COP25. Overall, women are underrepresented in most country delegations. At COP26, women constituted more than 50% of country delegations in only 35 of the 195 nations. Nearly half of the countries had less than 33% female delegates.
Women were only three in every 10 delegates at COP26. Turkmenistan, Yemen, Holy See and North Korea were the only nations with no women on board. Mexico, Samoa and Moldova had the highest representation of women, crossing the 70% mark.
