Revealed: The Official Hopes, Themes and Dreams for COP29
The 2024 United Nations Conference of Parties (COP29) will take place in Baku, Azerbaijan in November.
At the conference, governments assess global efforts to advance the Paris Agreement and limit global warming to 1.5 degrees alongside negotiating the best ways to address climate change.
COP29 President-Designate, H.E. Mukhtar Babayev, has published a formal letter to member states and the global community outlining the plan and expectations for the climate summit.
He says the conference aims to “enhance ambition and enable action”.
“Azerbaijan can help build the bridge, but we all need to walk across it. In fact, we need to start running.”
The letter follows negotiations in Bonn which saw “some progress”, but “people around the world expect and deserve more from us and from the process”.
“Time lost is lives, livelihoods, and habitats lost. It is unacceptable.”
The COP29 Presidency’s priorities
The letter sets out the President-Designate’s priorities and calls global stakeholders to action.
- Keep 1.5 degrees within reach and leave no one behind
- National Adaptation Plans and Biennial Transparency Reports
- 1.5-aligned Nationally Determined Contributions from all stakeholders
- New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance
- Finalise Article 6 of the Paris Agreement
The NCQG is the first climate finance goal after the Paris Agreement, called the “top negotiating priority”.
The goal will start from a floor of US$100bn per year whilst taking into account the needs of developing countries.
The letter says: “The COP29 Presidency has heard the voices of so many parties and communities that are counting on all of us to take this step at COP29. We all must go the extra mile together to deliver this historic milestone.”
The letter also describes the previous inability to finalise Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, set out in 2015, as “disappointing” and says it is a “long overdue priority”.
The COP29 Presidency will host Heads of Delegations in July to focus on the NCQG and ensure progress on negotiations across the Paris Agreement, including Article 6.
Climate Finance Action Fund
Azerbaijan has announced the creation of the Climate Finance Action Fund (CFAF) to invest in action in the developing world.
Money for the fund will be contributed by fossil fuel producing countries and companies across oil, gas and coal. These members will commit to send annual contributions.
The fund will provide concessional and grant-based support to address the consequences of natural disasters in developing countries, and focus on the food and agriculture sector as a priority to protect livelihoods.
Any profits generated from projects will be reinvested in the fund.
The initial CFAF fundraising round seeks to raise US$1bn and will become operational after 10 countries commit as shareholders.
The themes at COP29
The conference will run from the 11th to the 22nd of November, and the letter revealed the themes each day will focus on.
COP29 themes:
12 Nov: World Leaders Climate Action Summit
13 Nov: World Leaders Climate Action Summit
14 Nov: Finance, Investment and Trade
15 Nov: Energy / Peace, Relief and Recovery
16 Nov: Science, Technology and Innovation / Digitalisation
17 Nov: Rest day and no thematic programming
18 Nov: Human Capital / Children and Youth / Health /Education
19 Nov: Food, Agriculture and Water
20 Nov: Urbanisation / Transport / Tourism
21 Nov: Nature and Biodiversity / Indigenous People / Gender Equality / Oceans and Coastal Zones
22 Nov: Final negotiations
The letter reads: “There is nothing easy about this challenge or these negotiations, but this process is better than any alternative. It is our best hope, and we must now do whatever it takes to make it work.”
COP29 Presidency’s events
The letter also announced that the presidency will host a number of events leading up to the conference.
In July, Heads of Delegations are invited to focus on the NCQG and progress negotiations on the Paris Agreement.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell says: “This process of intergovernmental cooperation, and each year’s COP, is of vast significance.
“It is humanity’s best hope to avert the global climate crisis, and spread the huge benefits of decarbonisation and climate resilience.”
“A successful COP in Baku is more important than ever. But this process is not easy and there is much to do.”
September will see a number of events including biennial transparency reports (BTR) workshops for regional groups and a meeting of the Board of the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage.
October and November will hold workshops on methane and non-CO2 greenhouse gases, and business and philanthropy.
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