COP29 should aim to “enhance ambition and enable action”, said president-designate Mukhtar Babayev in his first formal communication in the role.
In a letter to the various UN Parties, Babayev stated that climate finance will be a centrepiece for COP29 – which he described as “a defining moment” in the global drive toward net zero – and set out the agenda for the conference, including the schedule of thematic days designed to provide space for new initiatives and share best practice on specific issues.
According to the letter, enabling action involves putting in place the means of implementation. The letter describes the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance – the first climate finance goal after the Paris Agreement – as the COP29 Presidency’s “top negotiating priority”.
“This will be a deciding test for whether the multilateral process is fit-for-purpose to confront the climate crisis,” he added.
Additionally, he called on Parties to submit 1.5-aligned Nationally Determined Contributions, noting that Azerbaijan would “lead by example” along with its COP28 and COP30 partners, the UAE and Brazil.
As part of its commitment to accelerate engagement, the COP29 presidency will host heads of delegations in Azerbaijan from 26 – 27 July, which will focus on the NCQG and ensure progress on negotiations across all pillars of the Paris Agreement, including key mandates such as Article 6.
The failure to conclude negotiations on Article 6 – which concerns the establishment of international compliance carbon markets so countries can trade carbon credits – has been “disappointing”, according to Babayev, and its conclusion will be a “long overdue priority” for the COP29 conference.
The letter comes following the mid-year negotiations in Bonn, which saw “some progress”, but “people around the world expect and deserve more from us and from the process”. According to Babayev: “Time lost is lives, livelihoods and habitats lost. It is unacceptable.”
Describing the need for countries to intensify their efforts, Babayev continued: “Azerbaijan is determined to fulfill its responsibility as host and will spare no effort to bring Parties together. But accelerating action is also a shared responsibility for all. COP is a party-driven process, and together they set the pace of success or failure. So, our message to everyone is this: Azerbaijan can help build the bridge, but we all need to walk across it. In fact, we need to start running.”
COP29 agenda
