BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 18. Transparency is the cornerstone of our collective efforts to combat climate change, said Yalchin Rafiyev, COP29 Lead Negotiator and Azerbaijan's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the COP29 ministerial roundtable on global climate transparency today, Trend reports.
He emphasized the importance of the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) under the Paris Agreement, which helps track progress toward shared climate goals, builds trust, and identifies areas requiring accelerated action.
“We are at a critical moment for implementing the ETF, with the deadline for submitting the first biennial transparency reports (BTR) by the end of this year. The submission of BTR is a significant step in utilizing and effectively implementing the ETF system,” he said.
The lead negotiator also expressed gratitude to the countries that have already submitted their reports, proposing to recognize them as "BTR champions" with certificates.
“We acknowledge and welcome the ongoing efforts of countries and their commitment to timely reporting. We strongly urge all parties to work towards submitting their reports by the deadline, December 31, 2024,” he said.
Rafiyev highlighted that, as part of Azerbaijan’s COP29 presidency, the country is committed to supporting developing nations in preparing and submitting their reports on time. To assist with this, the Baku Climate Transparency Platform has been established as a key initiative to facilitate the effective implementation of the ETF. This platform aims to strengthen mutual trust, support developing countries in their reporting process, and promote the sharing of experiences and lessons learned.
“We are confident that cooperation through this platform will help enhance the transparency efforts of all countries, ensuring more effective implementation of the Paris Agreement and laying the foundation for achieving our climate goals,” Rafiyev added.
To note, the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), which will run until November 22, opened at the Baku Olympic Stadium on November 11. It is the largest event organized by Azerbaijan to date, and the first time in the region that it is being held in Azerbaijan.
Within COP29, the highest level event - the summit of world leaders on climate action – was held on November 12–13.
The main expectation from COP29 is to agree on a fair and ambitious New Collective Quantitative Goal (NCQG) on climate finance. The COP29 chairmanship has launched 14 initiatives that include linkages between climate action and the Sustainable Development Goals, including green energy corridors, green energy storage, harmony for climate resilience, clean hydrogen, methane reduction in organic waste, action on green digital technologies, and other topics.
In addition to being a top priority that creates the conditions for action, creating climate finance will also help fulfill the 1.5°C pledge by bringing everyone together.
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is an agreement signed at the Rio Earth Summit in June 1992 to prevent dangerous human interference in the climate system. The acronym COP (Conference of Parties) stands for “Conference of Parties” and is the highest legislative body overseeing the implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change.
A total of 198 countries are parties to the Convention. Unless otherwise decided by the parties, COP is held annually. The first COP event was held in March 1995 in Berlin, and its secretariat is located in Bonn.
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