COP28: outcomes, achievements, and costs

Costs

The Scottish Government applied the principle of value for money throughout the planning and delivery of COP28. The costs for the pavilion were shared with ICLEI and UN Habitat. All flights were booked via our CTM partner with most officials travelling Economy class, while the First Minister, Cabinet Secretary, special advisors, and private office travelled business class. Airlines used were a combination of Emirates, Qatar, and British Airways. Ministers and officials from both the UK Government and the Scottish Government stayed at the same four-star hotel which has been previously vetted by UKG. The hotel name cannot be released due to security reasons and was booked as early as possible to ensure lower prices. Officials used the free metro cards provided by COP to travel from the hotel to the COP venue where possible. Standard Scottish Government rules for travel and subsistence costs were applied. Scottish Government subsistence rules do not allow ministers or officials to claim for alcohol.

Below lists the Scottish Government costs from COP28. These costs were met from the Scottish Government’s 2023/24 budget. Accommodation and subsistence costs have been published in pounds sterling. The names and job titles of grade A to C civil servants are not released under Freedom of Information requests. See information on salaries.

To further understand the costs, Officials and Ministers were in situ in Dubai as follows:

First Minister and 1 x First Minister team member (C2), Wednesday 29 November to Monday 4 December

First Minister team member (B2), Monday 27 November to Monday 4 December

Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary Team member (C1), Saturday 2 to Thursday 7 December

1 x Deputy Director, Tuesday 28 November to Thursday 7 December

1 x Director, Wednesday 29 November through to 6 December

2 x Officials (C1 and B2), Tuesday 28 November to Tuesday 5 December

2 x Officials, (C2 and B3) Tuesday 28 November to Thursday 7 December

4 x Officials, (2 x C1, B2) Wednesday 29 November to Thursday 7 December

1 x Official (B2) Wednesday 29 to Tuesday 5 December

1 x Official (B3) Wednesday 29 November to Wednesday 6 December

2 x Officials (2 x C1) Wednesday 29 November to Saturday 9 December

1 x Official, (B2) Wednesday 29 November to Wednesday 6 December

1 x Official, (C3) Saturday 2 to Thursday 7 December

2 x Special Advisors, Tuesday 28 November to Monday 4 December

1 x Special Advisor, Saturday 2 to Thursday 7 December

First Minister and team 

The First Minister and his team participated in COP28 with two officials accompanying him from 30 November to 4 December. The First Minister’s hotel details are not provided on security advice. Transportation for Ministers in Dubai was provided by the British Embassy. Please see a full breakdown of costs below:

First Minister

 Accommodation: £1416.00

Travel (flight): £3,998.00

Total: £5,134.66

First Ministers Team (at grades C2 and B2)

Accommodation: £3,068.00

Travel (flights): £4,172.97

Travel (car mileage): £28.35

Travel (taxis): £187.75

Subsistence/incremental expenses (inc food and non-alcoholic drinks): £573.73

Total: £8,030.80

Cabinet Secretary

Accommodation: £1,180.00

Travel (flight): £3,232.86

Total: £4,412.86

Cabinet Secretary Support (at grade C1)

Accommodation: £1,180.00

Travel (flight): £3,232.86

Travel (taxis): £16.85

Subsistence/incremental expenses (inc food and non-alcoholic drinks): £204.54

Total: £4,634.25

Officials

A total of 13 officials from Scottish Government, one Deputy Director and one Director participated in COP28.

A breakdown of their costs is below:

Senior Civil Service – 1 x Deputy Director

Accommodation: £2,124.00

Travel (flights): £675.66

Travel (metro): £4.73

Travel (taxis): £3.12

Subsistence/incremental expenses (inc food and non-alcoholic drinks): £131.83

Total: £2,939.34

Senior Civil Service – Director

Accommodation: £1,888

Travel (flights): £686.26

Travel (taxis/Bus): £55.31

Subsistence/incremental expenses (inc food and non-alcoholic drinks): £146.03

Total: £2,775.60

Non-Senior Civil Service officials (1 x C3, 1 x C2, 5 x C1, 2 x B3, 4 x B2)

Accommodation: £24,779.00

Travel (flights): £11,116.33

Travel (train/tram): £18.00

Travel (car mileage/parking/airport drop off): £106.50

Travel (taxis): £862.08

Travel (bus): £37.10

Travel (metro): £55.41

Subsistence/incremental expenses (inc food and non-alcoholic drinks) £3,091.86

Total: £40,066.28

3 x Special Advisors participated in COP28

A breakdown of costs is:

Accommodation: £4,391.20

Travel (flights): £7,182.02

Travel (taxis): £134.31

Travel (metro): £3.99

Subsistence/incremental expenses (inc food and non-alcoholic drinks): £511.24

Total: £12,222.76

CO2 with RF* - total for the entire travelling group

95064.386269

CO2 without RF* - total for the entire travelling

63599.5256

*RF is the measure of the additional environmental impact of aviation due to emissions of gases and aerosols and changes in cloud abundance

Savings made on expenditure during COP28

In the planning and logistics of COP28, Scottish Government officials were mindful of costs and applied the principle of value for money in all decisions on expenditure.

In selecting hotels for the duration of the trip, three hotels were offered that had already been security cleared by UKG for official travel for Ministers and officials with Scottish Government selecting the cheapest one.

Officials used the free metro to travel to and from COP as much as possible. On the few occasions that taxis were used (due to events not being near metro stations and/or nighttime travel), these costs were shared.

COP 28 Business Programme Costs

The costs relating to the COP28 business programme amount to £106,576.09 and fall into three categories;

1. Business events and Networking £27,028.84
2. Marketing Campaign £47,986.25
3. Business delegation programme costs £31,561

These costs delivered a strong return on investment with £64.8 million of forecast export sales reported at this stage and a reach of 1.8 billion exposed to Scottish Net Zero expertise and ambition through our marketing campaign. Our events and networking helped the companies meet new customers and develop new relationships.

Entrepreneurship Division - GovTech Global Alliance showcases

Two climatetech showcases and blue zone panel session (Scottish Government contribution) - £9,37