The first day of the preliminary meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), known as Pre-COP29, has wrapped up in Baku, AzVision.az reports.

First, COP29 President, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan Mukhtar Babayev read out President Ilham Aliyev's address to the event participants.

Pre-COP is typically held a month before the main COP conference and aims to align the participants of the Paris Agreement on key issues related to climate change.

This year, Pre-COP29 in Baku carries the theme, "Raising Ambitions and Ensuring Action."

The opening ceremony featured speeches from the COP29 President Designate, Azerbaijan's Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Mukhtar Babayev, and the President of COP28, UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change and Minister of Industry and Advanced Technologies Sultan A. Al Jaber.

The expected speakers also included UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, Executive Secretary of UNFCCC Simon Stiell, and other officials.

The "Path to COP29" plenary discussion featured speakers who shared their perspectives on a successful balanced package outcome at COP29 and identify two to three priorities.

Parallel events covered three themes: "New Collective Quantified Goal" (NCQG), "Adaptation, Loss and Damage," and "Mitigation of Climate Change."

Additionally, on October 10, the "Troika" of the COP presidency (UAE, Azerbaijan, and Brazil) presented the roadmap for the "1.5 Mission: Enhancing International Cooperation."

The event also scheduled discussions on "Stimulating Global Support for Universal Transparency in Climate Action".

COP29 president-designate, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan Mukhtar Babayev said that PreCOP29 events started in Baku will help make progress on such important issues as the “New Collective Quantitative Objective” on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and clarify issues of the formation of the international Loss and Damage Response Fund, Green Clinical Fund.

“Pre-COP29 will help to achieve progress on these critical issues, because we should not leave everything for COP29, and we can reach decisions before the climate summit, where there will be collective approval of actions,” Babayev noted.

According to him, Baku needs to support the consensus reached during COP28, in particular, on the accumulation and use of $1 trillion annually to address climate problems of developing countries, especially island states.

“Climate finance will be among the major issues at the consultations, pre-COP, and during COP29 itself,” the COP29 president remarked.

He stated that Baku will see upcoming discussions on the two-year transparency reports (BTRs) to be submitted by Paris Climate Agreement countries by the end of 2024 and countries' National Climate Commitment Plans (NDCs), to be submitted by February 2025.

“Their implementation will determine real steps to reduce greenhouse and non-pollutant gas emissions,” Babayev pointed out.

He emphasized that the determinations regarding Article 6 of the Paris Climate Agreement will hold significant global relevance.

“We believe that all political differences should be put aside for the sake of a bright climate future. I am sure that this will be supported by all participants of COP29,” Babayev concluded.

 

The head of the UN subsidiary body for the implementation of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Nabeel Munir noted that it is time to move from analyzing climate change problems to taking active actions to prevent it.

“The countries participating in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change are updating national climate plans, transparency reports, and plans for adaptation to clinical changes. Pre-COP29 will discuss these issues. I believe it is high time for the world to move from scientific research and analysis to decisive concrete action on climate change. Innovative approaches will help, and this understanding is reflected in the discussion of all issues at the upcoming COP29,” Munir added.

he Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Simon Stiell stressed that financing is one of the most important elements in the fight against climate change.

He noted that each country should be committed to its obligations.

“COP29 creates an ambitious space for us. We need every country to raise climate change commitments, which are very important. Countries have already started to fulfill their commitments. We appreciate that. I encourage all parties to work together,” he said.

Stiell noted that the goal of COP29 is for all plans to materialize.

“We are ready to do our best in this direction,” he added.

The Special Representative of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Climate, Energy, and Environment André Corrêa do Lago said that it is possible to achieve effective results within the framework of COP29 in Baku.

According to him, unfortunately, many people think that multilateralism will not be beneficial.

“We should work to encourage and develop multilateralism. We believe that effective results can be achieved in Baku. We should strive for achievements,” he added.

The agenda includes the Climate and Development Ministerial Conference 2024, organized by the UK, Vanuatu, and Azerbaijan, on October 11.

The participants will also discuss the topic, "Developing Human Capacity for a Climate-Resilient Future."

The presidencies of COP28 and COP29, along with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), will brief the Pre-COP29 participants on consensus results in the energy sector.

The event also schedules joint consultations on climate and peace, and will be concluded with a logistics briefing by the operational team for COP29.

This November, Azerbaijan will host COP29. This decision was made at the COP28 plenary meeting held in Dubai on December 11 last year. Baku will become the center of the world and will receive about 70–80,000 foreign guests.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is an agreement signed at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 to prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system. COP—the Conference of the Parties—is the highest legislative body overseeing the implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change. There are 198 countries that are parties to the Convention. Unless the parties agree otherwise, the COP is held annually. The first COP event took place in March 1995 in Germany's Berlin with its secretariat in Bonn.

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