COP29 Presidency hosts inaugural press conference

The Presidency of the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change hosted its first press conference on April 15, Azernews reports.

The press conference featured addresses from various key figures including COP29 President-Designate Mukhtar Babayev, Lead Negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev, Chief Executive Officer Elnur Soltanov, Chair of the COP29 Operating Company and Chief Operating Officer Narmin Jarchalova, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion Nigar Arpadarai, and UN Youth Climate Champion Leyla Hasanova.

At the first press conference held at the COP29 Presidency headquarters, COP29 Chief Executive Officer Elnur Soltanov says that COP29 will be a platform for broad discussion and action on accelerating the transition to green energy.

UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP29, Nigar Arpadarai, said at a press conference that the upcoming decisions at the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) in Baku will affect many countries.

“Climate issues are issues that concern the whole world. The countries of the world are coming together to discuss all this. COP29, in this regard, is a very authoritative event. The decisions that will be made here will affect many countries,” Arpadarai emphasized.

COP29 Lead Negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev noted during the first press conference of the COP29 presidency that Azerbaijan engages in the COP29 negotiation process with all involved parties through the prism of transparency, inclusiveness, and neutrality.

"All parties are engaged in comprehensive discussions on the key topics of the COP29 negotiations, which include climate finance. Active efforts are underway to explore potential solutions for the successful conclusion of the negotiations," the official said.

President of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) Mukhtar Babayev said during the first press conference of the COP29 presidency stressed that Azerbaijan sees green transition among its national priorities.

He mentioned that hosting COP29 in Azerbaijan demonstrates the international community's trust in the policies pursued by the country under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev at both national and international levels, including efforts to address climate change.

"Within the framework of the presidency and the hosting of COP29, our country will demonstrate continuous activity towards strengthening global solidarity on climate change issues," emphasized Babayev.

Babayev also noted that Azerbaijan has joined the Global Methane Pledge, which involves voluntary commitments by states to reduce methane emissions, and has set a goal to increase the share of renewable energy sources in installed electricity capacity to 30 percent by 2030.

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. The 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 Berlin, and its secretariat is located in Bonn.