The second meeting of the Organizing Committee of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change was held on March 7.
The Head of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Chairman of the Organizing Committee, Samir Nuriyev, outlined the progress made in preparation for COP29 since the first meeting, in accordance with the directives of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. Samir Nuriyev emphasized that, as per the order of the head of state, the Organizing Committee had been expanded to incorporate Members of Parliament and representatives from civil society in order to ensure inclusivity.
Samir Nuriyev stated that President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, in remarks at a meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council and in an interview with “Euronews” TV channel, had identified the key directions and framework of the COP29 Chairmanship agenda. As reflected in the said theses, Samir Nuriyev emphasized the importance of a fair approach in relation to countries rich with oil and natural gas and said their activities should be evaluated in the light of their contributions to environmental matters. The Chairman of the Organizing Committee said that Azerbaijan had recently signed the “Global Methane Pledge”, which aims to reduce the volume of methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030 compared to 2020.
Noting that the Action Plan on declaring 2024 as the “Green World Solidarity Year” had already been approved in the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Action Plan for COP29 was under preparation, the Chairman of the Organizing Committee stressed the importance of ensuring alignment between the two action plans.
Samir Nuriyev touched upon the work carried out with the Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and noted that Azerbaijan’s level of preparedness had received a positive assessment from the UN.
The Chairman of the Organizing Committee stated that, taking into account the successful experience of Azerbaijan’s chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement and its active representation in other international organizations, the country was capable of playing the role of a bridge between the Global South and the Global North and would make every effort to achieve global solidarity and consensus at COP29.
The Chairman of the Organizing Committee also stated that the creation of the “Troika” mechanism among the United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan and Brazil regarding the COP was a commendable step.
Then, the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources and the President-Designate of COP29, Mukhtar Babayev spoke about his visits to Türkiye, Germany, the UAE and Kenya to discuss issues arising from the country’s COP29 chairmanship, and his meetings with the officials of foreign countries and international organizations responsible for climate issues. Mukhtar Babayev noted that more visits and meetings would be organized as part of the preparations for the prestigious event and pointed out that the next visit would be to China.
The Minister of Digital Development and Transport, Rashad Nabiyev, spoke about the steps undertaken to solve transport issues in the process of preparation for COP29.
The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and COP29 Lead Negotiator, Yalchin Rafiyev, spoke about Azerbaijan’s COP29 priorities and initiatives, as well as contacts with various counterparts.
The Chairperson of the COP29 Management Board of the COP29 Operating Company, Narmin Jarchalova, spoke about the organizational and logistical issues and other preparatory works.
Member of the Parliament Nigar Arpadarai spoke about her activities as a High-Level Champion on Climate Change.
Member of the Parliament Fatma Yildirim reported on parliamentary diplomacy and climate changes, as well as the activities of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan regarding COP29.
Young Climate Champion Leyla Hasanova provided information about her meetings and activities in her capacity.
The Executive Director of the State Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Support for Non-Governmental Organizations, Aygun Aliyeva, and the Executive director of the “Health Service” Public Association, co-founder of the “Environmental Protection First” Coalition, Parvana Valiyeva, highlighted the role of civil society at COP29 and spoke in favor of including civil society representatives in the Organizing Committee, noting that cooperation of representatives of national and international NGOs, as well as the private and public sector was commendable.
At the conclusion of the meeting, tasks were assigned for the implementation of the Action Plan and other pertinent matters concerning the organization and hosting of COP29.
