BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 18. A letter of intent was signed to establish the "Baku COP Presidencies Continuity Coalition for Climate and Health" during a high-level roundtable on climate and health at the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), Trend reports via the Ministry of Health of Azerbaijan.
The coalition includes Azerbaijan, the UK, Egypt, the UAE, and Brazil.
During COP29, November 18 was designated as Human Capital Day, focusing on children and youth, health, and education.
The event speaker, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Health Teymur Musayev, emphasized that, as the host country of COP29, Azerbaijan is committed to advancing the link between climate and health.
"The impact of climate change on health is already being felt in all corners of the world. These impacts threaten not only people's well-being but also the resilience of health systems, particularly in low- and middle-income countries," he said.
According to the minister, the coalition represents an unprecedented level of international cooperation.
"Today, we are taking an important step forward in our collective commitment to tackling these challenges. Together with the World Health Organization, we aim to keep climate change and health at the center of the global agenda," Musayev explained.
Musayev highlighted that tangible results have been achieved during previous COPs.
"Previous initiatives, such as the COP26 Alliance for Transformations in Climate and Health (ATACH), the COP27 Initiative on Climate Change and Nutrition (I-CAN), and the COP28 Guidelines on Financing Climate and Health Measures for Health Protection, laid an important and solid foundation. However, we must not stop here," he stressed.
The minister also pointed out that the new coalition will provide the continuity and platform necessary to strengthen these efforts, maximize their impact, and bring together stakeholders from governments, international organizations, civil society, academia, and the private sector.
"By signing the Letter of Intent, we commit to a shared vision: a world where climate and health policy are not isolated but integrated into all aspects of governance and development. Financing climate-resilient health systems is not a hope but a reality".
"We see how climate change is affecting people's health worldwide. From rising temperatures exacerbating respiratory diseases to the increasing frequency of extreme weather events, people's health is under threat, but we also see an opportunity for transformation. By prioritizing both health and climate action, we can protect lives, build stronger health systems, and contribute to sustainable development," he 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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