EFE.- Ensuring fair financing, avoiding the increase in global average temperature above 1.5º C and guaranteeing that no one is left behind are the main objectives of the organizing committee of the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) in Baku (Azerbaijan) next November, its designated president, Mukhtar Babayev, declared in an interview with EFE.
“The time for delays and fragmented approaches has passed,” commented Babayev, whose commitment is to reach a “consensus” to overcome the main obstacle that separates developed countries from those that lack resources: climate finance.
In fact, the conference is also known as the “COP of finance”, since, for the first time in 15 years, a new global financing target for the fight against climate change must be agreed.
According to the COP29 presidency, in order to act, countries must establish the so-called New Quantified Collective Objective (NCQC), a key element of the Paris Agreement, which replaces the current financing objective – established 15 years ago – and which was committed to mobilizing 100 billion dollars annually against climate change by 2020 (only met in 2022, according to experts).
“The general financing picture in the fight against climate change remains inadequate (…). We must expand access to financing on favorable conditions, streamline access to climate funds and take advantage of these resources to reduce both risk and costs,” highlighted the Azerbaijani leader.
As a first step, according to Baku, it is necessary for countries to intensify their national climate commitments (known as Nationally Determined Contributions, NDC), planned for 2025, and these proposals maintain the objective of not increasing temperatures above of 1.5ºC.
“The real test is whether we can act quickly. Many nations are eager to do more but lack the resources, so securing funding must be a top goal. We will spare no effort to serve as a bridge,” Babayev said in a written interview.
The Azerbaijani official, who until January was Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, committed to ensuring that small states are heard at the conference in a moment that he described as “collective responsibility.”
The importance of Cali
In this sense, Babayev encouraged the participants in the COP16 in Cali (Colombia), which starts next week, to not only mark the trajectory of biodiversity governance – the object of the conference – but also influence the debates. of Baku so that ecological considerations are collective climate strategies.
“In a world increasingly defined by environmental crises, COP16 offers the opportunity to integrate biodiversity into the fabric of climate resilience and guarantee a sustainable future for all,” said the president-designate, who considered that being the first COP since the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Framework, progress must be made in the commitment to reduce pollution and the extinction of threatened species.
Along these lines, the president-designate highlighted that in recent months the foundations have been laid for the Loss and Damage Fund – approved two years ago at the COP27 in Sharm el Sheikh – to be operational in Baku, with specific agreements and aid. aimed at vulnerable communities.
Babayev was aware of the difficulties of COP29, although it has as a precedent the previous COP28 in Dubai, in which after days of uncertainties coming, above all, from the oil countries, an agreement was adopted by consensus of the plenary that asked the states move away from fossil fuels.
The designated president who, like the previous one of the host country, Sultan al Jaber, comes from the oil industry, encouraged the Parties to reach a consensus and put aside political and economic differences for the good of the Planet.
“Preparations for COP29 in Baku are advancing at a good pace, marked by a strong commitment to fostering inclusive dialogue and collaboration between Parties. This year, the COP will bring together heads of government, state, climate ministers, as well as representatives of the private sector and civil society. “We are looking forward to welcoming the world,” concluded the president.
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