BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 20. 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.
US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Mark Libby became our interviewee today.
In an interview with Trend, Ambassador Mark Libby said that the Azerbaijani Presidency's consensus-building efforts are underway at COP29.
“I realize that there are many complex issues at COP29. The US team is looking at everything from targets and mitigation to funding. All these issues are complex, but that is why we are here to work on them,” he said.
He expressed confidence that the parties, with a little effort and a modicum of goodwill, can come to an agreement that satisfies everyone and addresses the climate crisis.
“I have high expectations for COP29,” Mark Libby noted.
Referring to the event organized by the US Embassy, he stressed the importance of youth engagement in the fight against climate change.
“Events like this one give me the greatest hope for our ability to combat climate change because it involves innovative, inspired, and smart young people who are looking at serious problems and seeking solutions,” the Ambassador said.
“It is a real honor for me and my team at the Embassy to be able to support them.
I am confident that they will do an excellent job for Azerbaijan and make a significant contribution to addressing climate challenges around the world,” the ambassador 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 Presidency 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.