BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 19. 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.
Today, we are honored to speak with the Minister of Environment of Nigeria Balarabe Abbas Lawal.
In an exclusive interview with Trend, Lawal expressed confidence that important results would emerge from the discussions.
"COP29 is excellently organized. Negotiations are ongoing, but I won’t comment on the specifics at this point. I believe the process is fair. What sets this COP apart is the increased focus on financial issues, which is crucial. Indeed, financing solutions for environmental and climate challenges is of utmost importance, and that’s why we are here," he said.
The minister also reflected on the climate negotiations in Dubai, highlighting the significant focus on Africa.
"At the Dubai conference, there were many promises, especially concerning Africa's climate challenges. I also emphasized that we must ensure that, upon returning home, we can share the achievements made here."
At the summit we are holding now, financial support amounting to 200-300 billion dollars was highlighted as a contribution to addressing the climate crisis in Africa. However, I believe this will not be sufficient for Africa, given the many challenges we face," 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 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.
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