The preliminary meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), known as Pre-COP29, has officially started in Baku, according to Azernews.

Azerbaijan's Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Mukhtar Babayev, the COP29 President, opened the event by reading an address from President Ilham Aliyev, welcoming participants and emphasizing the importance of the summit for global climate ambitions.

Pre-COP meetings are held about a month prior to the main COP event to synchronize positions on key climate change issues. This year's Pre-COP29, themed "Raising Ambitions and Ensuring Action," sets the stage for the main conference in November. The discussions aim to highlight priorities such as adaptation, loss and damage, mitigation, and support for transparency in climate action.

Speakers at the opening ceremony include UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technologies Sultan A. Al Jaber, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, and UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell. The "Path to COP29" plenary session will focus on achieving a balanced outcome for COP29.

Azerbaijan will host COP29 this November, having been selected during COP28's plenary session in Dubai last year. The event is expected to attract 70,000-80,000 participants, marking a significant moment for global climate cooperation.