BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 15. The high-level panel meeting organized by the Joint Initiative established within the framework of Azerbaijan's COP29 chairmanship - Azerbaijan, Egypt, Germany, Italy, Uganda, UAE, UK - and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) was held in Baku, Trend reports.
The event discussed the initiatives of the COP29 Chairmanship providing concrete solutions in the field of climate change, as well as the Baku Climate and Peace Action Concept and the “Baku Peace Call for Climate”, which includes practical steps to prevent climate threats to international peace.
Representatives of Italy, Egypt, the UK, UAE, Germany, and Uganda, as well as representatives of the International Organization for Migration, the UN Development Programme, and other international organizations, highly appreciated Azerbaijan's efforts as practical steps against future threats and expressed support for the country's initiatives. At the same time, the importance of cooperation in this field was emphasized. It was noted that Baku's call requires intensive cooperation. They called on everyone to join efforts to contribute to it. Baku COP has indeed made progress in climate change action. It was brought to attention that to ensure peace today, it is crucial to reorient finances toward climate-related issues. There is a need to work in collaboration with local actors and various partners.
Speaking at the meeting, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov noted that peace is Azerbaijan's top priority.
According to him, climate change is also exacerbating food security by accelerating water scarcity and soil degradation, which in turn leads to migration. Catastrophes caused by climate change catalyze conflicts that lead to deepening instability.
Jeyhun Bayramov added that by 2021, 355 million households and about 1.3 billion people will be exposed to climate threats. More than five hundred million people are in or prone to conflicting territories.
The COP29 chairmanship has been leading international efforts to strengthen joint climate action over the past few months.
The event touched upon the importance of joint action for sustainable peace and emphasized the importance of joint action in implementing the initiatives put forward by the Azerbaijani Chairmanship.
The meeting continued with discussions on the subject.
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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