The 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change - COP29 begins in Azerbaijan, APA reports.
On December 11, 2023, a decision was made in this regard at the plenary meeting of COP28 in the United Arab Emirates.
President of COP28, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technologies Sultan Ahmed Al-Jabir announced that the next COP conference will be held in Azerbaijan.
It should be noted that hosting the COP is usually rotated 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. On December 7, 2023, in a joint statement issued as a result of direct negotiations between the Administration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia, Armenia withdrew its candidacy in favor of Azerbaijan.
After that, Bulgaria also withdrew its candidacy.
Thus, on December 9, 2023, the Eastern European regional group identified Azerbaijan as the country that will host the COP in 2024.
The Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change – COP is the highest decision-making body of the Convention.
Its secretariat is located in Bonn. 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 Conference of the Parties (COP) is the official meeting of the Conference of the Parties where governments assess international efforts to make progress on the Paris Agreement and Convention and to limit global warming to 1.5°C based on the latest scientific research and information.
During COP events, world leaders come together to assess progress and discuss the best solutions to combat climate change.
Currently, the Convention consists of 198 Parties (197 countries and the European Union).
COP29 will be held on November 11-22, 2024 at the Baku Stadium in Baku.
In order to make the process transparent, impartial and inclusive, the COP29 Presidency has developed a two-pronged, mutually supportive plan to raise ambition and drive action.
It should be noted that Azerbaijan is a party to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and has joined the fight against global 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.
The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan 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.
The COP29 Presidency has announced global initiatives within the Agenda of Action. Initiatives launched by the Chair aim to advance climate action, encourage the active participation of non-Party stakeholders and increase ambition and drive action on climate change. COP29 Chairmanship initiatives continue the valuable legacy already launched to ensure synergy, coherence and high impact. The Chairmanship has collaborated with the United Nations Global Task Force and other Parties and observer (non-Party) stakeholders in developing initiatives, and will continue such inclusive collaboration to implement the comprehensive action plan.
INITIATIVES
Climate Finance Action Fund (CFAF)
Capitalized by voluntary contributions from fossil fuel producing countries and companies, the Fund will strengthen the public and private sectors in mitigation, research and development.
The fund will also have special opportunities for highly concessional and grant-based financing to rapidly address the effects of natural disasters in needy developing countries.
Baku Initiative for Climate Finance, Investment and Trade (BICFIT)
The initiative focuses on linking climate finance, investment and trade with a platform to promote investment in green diversification, support policy development and exchange experiences through dialogue.
Green energy zones and corridors
The final commitment will contribute to green energy zones and corridors, as well as the promotion of regional cooperation, including the goals of promoting investment, stimulating economic growth, developing, modernizing and expanding infrastructure.
Energy storage and networks
The final commitment will aim to increase global energy storage capacity six-fold from 2022 levels to 1,500 gigawatts by 2030. To improve energy networks, endorsers will also commit to significantly expanding investments in networks to 80 million kilometers by 2040.
Hydrogen activity
The Final Declaration will reveal the potential of a global market for clean hydrogen and its derivatives, with guiding principles and priorities to address regulatory, technological, financing and standardization barriers.
COP Ceasefire call
The COP Ceasefire call, modeled after the Olympic Ceasefire call, will highlight the importance of peace and climate action. This initiative will aim to remind all nations of the interrelationship between conflict and climate change and to highlight the importance of finding collective solutions to protect the most vulnerable. A separate "COP29 - Climate and Peace" Joint Initiative, which will be co-led with partners, aims to achieve concrete results, such as connecting the most vulnerable with existing resources, as well as creating a center of excellence to promote future activities at the intersection of peace and climate.
Green digital action
The Final Declaration aims to accelerate climate-friendly digitization and emissions reductions in the Information and Communication Technologies sector and increase the availability of green digital technologies.
Baku Initiative on human development for climate sustainability
This initiative will promote investment in various human development outcomes, including education, skills, health and well-being, particularly for children and youth, build COP-to-COP sustainability, and increase environmental literacy through educational standards.
Baku Harmonious Climate Initiative for Farmers
This initiative will act as an aggregator, bringing together initiatives, coalitions and networks to share experiences, identify synergies and gaps, facilitate finance and promote cooperation in agriculture, food and water, including the empowerment of local communities and rural women.
Methane reduction in organic waste
The Final Declaration will facilitate work towards 1.5 C-aligned waste sector commitments in national climate policy documents with quantitative targets for reducing methane in waste and food systems.
Multisectoral Action Pathways (MAP) for Sustainable and Healthy Cities
The Final Declaration will seek to develop multi-sector cooperation to address urban climate challenges and an initiative to build coherence across urban climates and accelerate urban climate finance.
Improved Climate Action on Tourism
The Final Declaration will include sectoral targets for tourism for Nationally Determined Contributions and will promote sustainability practices through reducing emissions as well as increasing sustainability in the sector. A further initiative with results will be launched to increase transparency in the sector and provide frameworks for sustainable food systems in tourism.
Water for Climate Action
The Final Declaration will call on stakeholders to adopt integrated approaches in addressing the causes and impacts of climate change on watersheds and water-related ecosystems, strengthen regional and international cooperation, and integrate water-related mitigation and adaptation measures into national climate policies. The declaration will launch the Baku Dialogue on Water for Climate Action to increase COP-to-COP sustainability and coherence in this area.
Baku Global Climate Transparency Platform (GCP)
The Platform will support developing country Parties in the preparation and submission of Biennial Transparency Reports, promote cooperation and knowledge sharing among all Parties across the full spectrum of the Enhanced Transparency Framework, and better mobilize capacity-building resources where needed.
November 11 – opening of COP29
Azerbaijan officially begins the presidency of the COP. The 61st meeting of the Subsidiary Institutions begins under the chairmanship of the heads of SBI and SBSTA.
November 12-13 – World Leaders Climate Action Summit World leaders will gather and make national statements to demonstrate how they are taking the Paris Agreement forward. During this Summit, the COP29 Presidency will seek to build consensus around the two pillars of the COP29 Plan in order to demonstrate clear political will to raise ambition, drive action and deliver to all stakeholders.
The COP29 Presidency will host leaders-level dialogues that will address key themes, including raising ambitions for mitigation and adaptation through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and long-term greenhouse gas emissions development strategies. The chairmanship will also co-host the Methane and CO 2 Free Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Summit with the US and China.
More than 100 heads of state and government, vice presidents are expected to participate in the COP29 Leaders' Summit.
November 14 – Finance, Investment and Trade
In order to meet our climate goals, the COP29 Presidency aims to collectively scale up climate finance, together with the promotion of green goods and low-carbon technologies, in addition to "greening trade". This can create sustainable jobs and provide countries in the Global South with access to the investments and technologies needed to achieve their long-term climate goals.
COP29 Chairmanship on climate finance, investment and trade Baku
Initiative (BICFIT), a high-level event to launch the Climate Finance Action Fund, a high-level event to launch the second Business, Investment and Philanthropy Platform, as well as a high-level event to boost investments in a just transition, including jobs and skills will host a level dialogue.
November 15 – Energy / Peace, Relief and Recovery
Energy is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and is considered a top priority for global climate action. Building on the outcomes of the first Global Review and moving towards implementation, COP29 will provide a space for stakeholders to gather and make collective progress. Climate and peace are deeply intertwined, as climate events and conflicts can lead to human insecurity and forced migration, affecting vulnerable groups mainly in developing and low-income countries.
The COP29 Presidency will hold a high-level meeting on Green Energy zones and corridors, Energy storage and grids and Hydrogen and launch relevant COP29 Declarations. The Presidency will co-host a high-level event for the "COP29 - Climate and Peace" Joint Initiative, presenting a joint call with the Co-Chairs Group on the relevance of climate action for peace.
November 16 – Science, Technology and Innovation / Digitization
Digital technologies have a key role to play in supporting climate action, but can also contribute to energy consumption and e-waste. The first Digitalization Day will promote joint action for a sustainable digital transformation that reaps the benefits of technologies while mitigating their environmental impacts.
The Chair will hold a high-level roundtable on the role of digitization for climate action and launch a related Declaration.
November 17 – Day of rest; There is no Thematic Program
The 61st meeting of the Subsidiary Institutions will end and Azerbaijan's COP29 Presidency will prepare to chair the 6th Conference of the Parties (CMA 6), which acts as a meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement.
November 18 – Human development / Children and youth / Health / Education
Climate change will require a whole-of-society approach supported by healthier, better-educated and adequately-skilled individuals, especially young people. The first-ever Human Development Day will treat human development, youth, health and education as interrelated issues, while comprehensively addressing each thematic issue, including climate change, as a separate priority.
It will host a series of high-level meetings and events on investing in human development, health and jobs, and launch the Baku Initiative on Human Development for Climate Resilience.
November 19 – Food, Water and Agriculture
Global warming disrupts the water cycle and threatens food security for people around the world. At COP29, all stakeholders can come together to commit to consistent and collective action on climate and agriculture.
In addition to hosting a series of high-level events, including a meeting on reducing methane in organic waste, a Declaration will be presented at this meeting to launch the Farmers' Baku Harmony Climate Initiative.
November 20 – Urbanization / Transport / Tourism
Addressing the challenges of climate change in the urban environment requires more action across all sectors and levels, from local to regional to global. In addition, the role of transport in the climate agenda will be considered as a related priority. The COP will also host the first ever Tourism Day to raise awareness of how the sector can impact and contribute.
Urbanization high-level meetings and roundtables will be held on green building, transport and infrastructure, nature, urban health and sustainability, climate finance, and the COP29 MAP Declaration for Sustainable and Healthy Cities will be launched. The Presidency will also organize a high-level meeting on tourism and COP29 on Improved Action in Tourism
It will submit his declaration.
November 21 – Indigenous Peoples / Gender Equality / Nature and Biodiversity / Oceans and Coastal Regions
Indigenous peoples protect 80% of the world's biodiversity and 36% of intact forest landscapes, and women-led climate action and nature-based solutions represent transformative pathways for climate mitigation and adaptation. Water is essential for the well-being of both human societies and nature and biodiversity.
A high-level event on gender and a high-level meeting on water will be held to launch the COP29 Declaration on Water for Climate Action.
November 22 – Closing Debates
In order to ensure the creation of conditions for the parties to focus on the final stages of the negotiations, no thematic program was planned on the last day.
