BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 11. As part of COP29 in Baku, Trend News Agency proudly presents COP for Hope, a special project offering an unparalleled platform to hear from world leaders and trailblazers in politics, economics, science, and ecology, all united by a shared commitment to addressing today’s pressing climate challenges.
Today, we discussed the issues of climate finance with Mamadou Samake, Minister of the Environment, Sanitation and Sustainable Development of Mali.
Speaking on behalf of the Republic of Mali, Minister Samake thanked Azerbaijan for hosting the global summit and highlighted the close ties between the two nations. "First of all, I want to thank the Republic of Azerbaijan for organizing this COP29, on behalf of the Republic of Mali. We are pleased to be here," he said, adding that recent high-level meetings between Azerbaijani and Malian officials underscored the friendly relations between the countries.
Minister Samake outlined Mali’s primary goals for COP29, stressing the critical importance of financial support for developing nations as they address climate change. "Our expectation for this COP is about the financial side,” he said. Recalling the commitments made at COP28 in Dubai, he expressed hope that leaders would now act on those promises: "We had many promises about finance. Now, the time is to mobilize this finance and to enhance this finance".
The minister emphasized the significant gap between the current level of climate finance available and the escalating needs of countries like Mali. "The need of global finance of climate change today is very, very important," he explained. "The gap of finance which are mobilized now and the need, the gap is very, very important".
According to the minister, reducing this financial gap is essential to advancing critical projects, including infrastructure for adaptation, green energy initiatives, and the broader energy transition needed to move toward lower emissions. "The need today to mobilize finance and to reduce this gap and to be able to finance adaptation and to finance our infrastructure projects and green projects. That is our main expectation," he stated, calling on international leaders to prioritize financial commitments.
Minister Samake reiterated Mali’s commitment to addressing climate change, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to participate in COP29 and for the chance to call for decisive action on climate finance. "Mobilize, mobilize finance," he urged, underscoring Mali’s hopes that this conference will lead to meaningful progress in climate funding.