BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 14. NGOs hailing from the UAE, Azerbaijan, and Brazil have come together to break new ground at their inaugural forum on climate financing in the COP29 Green Zone, Trend reports.
The forum, titled "COP Legacy - Civil Society Discussions on Climate Finance," was organized by the Azerbaijani State Support Agency for NGOs and the Azerbaijani National NGO Forum.
The agency's Executive Director Aygun Aliyeva mentioned that the forum is a golden opportunity for swapping COP experiences and getting NGOs in on the action regarding result-oriented climate finance.
Chairman of the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace of the UAE Ahmed Mohamed Al-Jarwan addressed NGO initiatives related to climate finance during COP28 and emphasized the importance of advancing key issues.
Head of the Planning, Information, and Tourism Development Department of Brazil's Ministry of Tourism Barbara Blaudt Rangel pointed out that Brazil, as the host country for COP30, strives to listen to and incorporate the approaches of civil society on climate matters.
The forum rolled on with panel discussions, keeping the ball rolling and the conversation flowing.
The first panel, "COP29: Empowering Civil Society in Climate Finance, Inclusivity, and Environmental Governance," was moderated by President of the Arab Platform for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Kamel Essigairi. The speakers included Executive Secretary of the Brazilian Panel on Climate Change and Researcher at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro Andrea Souza Santos, Head of the UAE Climate Network Rasha Bayoumi, and Board Member of the Azerbaijani National NGO Forum Azer Allahveranov.
The second panel, "COP Legacy: Strengthening Civil Society in Climate Finance, Inclusivity, and Environmental Protection," moderated by Chairman of the Azerbaijani National NGO Forum Ramil Iskandarli, featured presentations from Head of the Monitoring and Evaluation Department at the UAE Ministry of Social Development Ahmed Khalifa Al-Shamsi, Climate Director for Brazil at the World Resources Institute Karen Silverwood-Cope, and Brazilian environmental and public health activist Ajaj Rifah.
The first-ever NGO tri-country collaboration was considered an important milestone. During the discussions, representatives of civil society from abroad expressed their gratitude to the Azerbaijani government for the high level of organization of COP29.
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 on November 11 at the Baku Olympic Stadium.
The event is the largest organized by Azerbaijan to date and is the first time the region has hosted the event 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 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.
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