2024-07-26 08:37:20
Author: Elchin Alioglu, Trend
The 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (The 29th UN Conference of the Parties on Climate Change, UNFCCC COP 29) will be held in Baku in November.
The decision in this regard was made at the plenary session of COP28 held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on December 11.
The Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change – COP is the highest decision-making body of the Convention, the secretariat of which is located in Bonn, Germany. Every year, government representatives from all over the world gather at the COP and call for joint efforts to prevent climate change and eliminate its consequences. The first meeting of the COP was held in Berlin in 1995.
The 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) is in the center of attention of the world community. The session is a platform for global decision-making and action to combat climate change, which is vital to the future of our planet. The main goal of COP29 is the fulfillment of the obligations of the countries under the Paris Agreement and the discussion of new climate policies.
The agenda of COP29 covers many important topics. Among these topics, issues such as combating the effects of climate change, climate justice, financing and technology transfer are at the fore. Highlights of this session are:
COP29 will discuss the steps taken by countries to fulfill their obligations under the Paris Agreement. This includes topics such as the reduction of carbon emissions, the transition to renewable energy sources and the implementation of climate-resilient development strategies.
The session will discuss the application of climate justice principles. This includes providing finance and technology to protect vulnerable and developing countries from the effects of climate change.
Issues of financial support and technology transfer from developed countries to developing countries will be discussed at COP29. This includes providing innovative solutions that are essential for adapting to and combating climate change.
The session will discuss the implementation of climate change adaptation and sustainable development strategies. This will take into account areas such as agriculture, water resources management and urban planning.
Many country leaders, representatives of international organizations and representatives of civil society will speak at COP29. They will report on the measures and initiatives taken by their countries to combat climate change. These speeches and initiatives include:
The European Union’s Green Deal. The “Green Deal” initiative of the European Union includes measures to reduce carbon emissions to zero and develop a green economy.
US Climate Plan. New strategies and financial support initiatives adopted by the US Presidential Administration to fight climate change will be discussed.
“Energy Transformation” of the People’s Republic of China. The People’s Republic of China will provide information on the transition to renewable energy sources and measures to reduce carbon emissions.
The results of COP29 are important for the world community. Decisions and declarations made at the end of the session will focus on increasing global efforts to combat climate change. The results of this session will help countries to formulate their climate policies and adopt new strategies to mitigate the effects of climate change.
The COP29 session is an important event for the future of our planet. Decisions and initiatives adopted within this session are aimed at increasing global efforts to combat climate change and ensure sustainable development. This session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is a platform where world leaders, international organizations and representatives of civil society come together to fight climate change and aim to ensure a more livable world for future generations.
It should be recalled that the hosting of the COP usually rotates among the five regional groups of the UN. Each regional group must decide by consensus to nominate a country from among its members to host this conference.
It was the Eastern European regional group’s turn to host COP29 in 2024. Our country, which is included in the mentioned group, put forward its candidacy for holding the conference in Azerbaijan. Along with Azerbaijan, Armenia and Bulgaria also submitted their candidacies. In a joint statement issued as a result of direct negotiations between the Administration of the President of Azerbaijan and the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia on December 7, Armenia withdrew its candidacy in favor of Azerbaijan. After that, Bulgaria also withdrew its candidacy.
Thus, on December 9, the Eastern European regional group identified Azerbaijan as the country that will host the COP in 2024.
Azerbaijan’s hosting of COP29, one of the world’s largest and most important interstate events, in 2024 is another solemn victory of President Ilham Aliyev. This is the biggest success of our foreign policy after our chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement and our membership in the Security Council. At the same time, it is a solid response to some circles that have been conducting an ugly campaign against Azerbaijan lately.
Azerbaijan has joined the fight against global climate change by becoming a party to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Our country aims to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases by 35 percent by 2030 compared to 1990. After 2030, a more ambitious target has been set, which consists of reducing the amount of greenhouse gases by 40 percent by 2050.
Officially, Baku has declared the freed lands of our country as “Green Energy” zone. It is planned to turn these areas into “Net zero emission” zones by 2050.
COP29 is expected to be a major event that brings together heads of state and government, government officials, scientists, NGOs and other stakeholders from around the world to discuss and negotiate a range of global climate change issues.
During the Petersburg Climate Dialogue held in Germany, it was announced that the main topic of this year’s dialogue at COP29 will be the financing of measures to reduce climate change.
COP29 developed a two-pronged, mutually supportive plan to raise ambition and drive action.”
Until now, such a tradition has been formed that before the annual COP event, well-known persons and ministers from the climate community of different countries of the world gather in Berlin and determine the agenda of this event.
Here, ministers and diplomats set priorities for the next COP event – the main climate conference.
The goal of the COP is to make progress towards limiting global carbon dioxide (CO2) levels to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as required by the Paris Agreement.
In addition, developed countries are raising funds for financial assistance to help developing countries adapt and mitigate the effects of climate change.
Developing countries are already facing the inevitable impacts of climate change and need financial and other support to mitigate these impacts. Without this support, developing countries cannot transition to clean energy sources and reduce global carbon dioxide emissions.
The COP29 Conference is an opportunity for participating countries to make new commitments and take concrete steps to address the climate crisis.
As for the event in Baku, 70-80 thousand foreign guests are expected to come to our country.
COP29 will be the largest event hosted by Azerbaijan in terms of number of participants and scale.
According to our information, the main goal during COP-29 is to achieve a successful outcome in discussions and negotiations. The main topic of discussion will be the determination of financial sources to eliminate the consequences caused by global climate changes.
The main expectation is the development of new criteria for documents related to climate changes and the elimination of the consequences of these changes.
In general, representatives of 197 countries will come together at the annual climate summit of the UN, that is, COP, and try to determine the path of humanity in the fight against global warming and harmful climate changes. Gradual development in the direction of reducing greenhouse gas emissions will be an important point in the negotiations, but determining the financial possibilities for eliminating the damage caused by global warming to each country has become the most important topic in recent years.
At the COP-29 summit in Baku, the world states should clarify their new goals regarding “climate financing”. The fact is that the developed countries, which are the main causes of global climate changes, must help the developing countries.
At the summit in 2020, it was decided that developed countries should allocate at least 100 billion dollars in this regard. But that amount was collected only two years later, in 2022.
The money will be used for the transition to renewable and “green” energy, new initiatives in the field of health, investments in new technologies, assistance to regions affected by natural disasters, etc. intended to be used for such purposes.
However, despite the statements, the volume and number of practical cases is still small.
For example, Azerbaijan’s strategic ally, friend and brother, Pakistan, suffered a lot from the floods that occurred in the country in 2022. Approximately 1/3 of the country’s territory was submerged due to floods caused by monsoons. The natural disaster had a negative impact on the lives of 33 million Pakistanis, and thousands of Pakistanis were injured and killed. Pakistan’s agriculture was hit hard, as a result, the country’s economy suffered losses of 40 billion dollars. Pakistan gave detailed information about this at the COP-27 held in Cairo, and asked for partial compensation for the damages caused to developing countries as a result of global climate changes.
John Kerry, the US President’s special representative on issues related to climate change, did not initially accept Islamaghad’s demands on the issue we are talking about, but later changed his position.
Official Islamabad’s position and demand is concrete: the country should receive full compensation for the losses of 40 billion. However, developed countries are not in a hurry to allocate the amount. Rather, they state that the global transition to a less climate-damaging economy would require $4-6 trillion per year.
Official Baku fully supports the position of friend and brother Islamabad and declares that the new collective goal of “climate financing” will be one of the main topics of discussion at the COP-29 to be held in Baku.
In addition, it is emphasized that there are already 115 billion dollars in the fund created to help countries affected by the consequences of global climate change.
The chances of the current US President Joe Biden’s participation in the COP-29 in Baku are low. The head of state of the United States did not participate in the last COP-28 held in the UAE.
Expectations are high among future participants and guests of COP-29 regarding the presidential elections to be held on November 5 in the United States. If the candidate of the Republican Party, Donald Trump, is elected the 46th president of the United States, the process of fighting global climate change at the international level will face problems. Let’s not forget that D. Trump protested the Paris Climate Pact during his presidency, and the United States left this agreement.
Developing countries are looking forward to the COP-29 in Baku and hope that there will be changes in the lives of hundreds of millions of people.
Baku will mobilize all its capabilities to make those hopes come true…