H.E. Mukhtar Babayev is the COP29 President-Designate, and Azerbaijan’s Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources:
“It is very important... to hear the voices of these Small Island Developing States (SIDS)... because we need to assist the countries today, not tomorrow, not the day after tomorrow, because disasters happen every day, every day!”
By Mary Lyn Fonua
One big priority for the annual UN Climate Change Conference 2024 (COP29) is to make the climate Loss and Damage Fund operational, said HE Mukhtar Babayev, the COP29 President-Designate, who was in Tonga this week to meet Pacific Islands leaders, attending the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting.
“Because in 2022, in Sharm El Sheikh, this fund was created by countries; in 2023 several countries, already, pledged to contribute, but now is the time to make it operational, it is very important for all the countries to find this conclusion, how to operate this fund,” he told Matangi Tonga.
The Republic of Azerbaijan is the host country of COP29 to be held from November 11-22 in Baku, the capital on the Caspian Sea.
“For COP29 the big task to provide all these discussions and in September in Baku we have invited the board members to come and to discuss all these issues. We will try to find the agreement between the parties and to make this fund operational,” he said.
At COP27 in Egypt, an agreement was reached to create a fund that will help low-income developing countries offset the damage from natural disasters caused by climate change. Named the "Loss and Damage Fund," this financial mechanism was designed to provide crucial support to vulnerable nations facing the brunt of climate-related challenges. To facilitate the implementation of the fund and related climate finance mechanisms, a Transitional Committee was formed, comprised of representatives from 24 nations encompassing both developed and developing countries.
Pacific leaders are among those who have been frustrated in accessing climate funds.
HE Babayev said that the financial discussions and new collective quantified goals that the countries need to approve and agree upon in Baku is an intense negotiation, in which Azerbaijan is also involved as the COP29 host country, “to negotiate new approaches, new possible contributions, to finance the climate agenda”.
There are widely differing points of view that need to be bridged.
“In this case, the expectation of the developing world is trillions,” he said.
“Donor countries are not ready to reflect too much to big expectations, that’s why now there is discussion, discussions between the parties and I think it will be a very good chance to for Azerbaijan to consolidate all the parties, donors, others, the developing world, to find a conclusion, to achieve a new level of the contribution,” he said.
“I think it is very important for Azerbaijani team for COP29 to come [to PIFLM53 inTonga] and to hear the voices of these countries of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and of the Least Developed Countries. It is very important because we need to assist the countries today, not tomorrow, not the day after tomorrow, because disasters happen every day, every day. There is a huge impact to economies of SIDS and LDCs, huge.
“That’s why we need to provide all the necessary conditions to make the positive discussions and to find the new collective quantified goal - the new target for the countries to provide the finance for these issues.”
H.E. Babayev said that they have several rounds of these negotiations in September in Baku and they have invited the countries lead negotiation groups to discuss other instruments other financial sources of their possible contributions.
Key issues in the COP29 discussions on financial issues will be to provide as much as possible finance and to increase the contributions to fighting climate change, he said. The discussions will be inclusive and involve all stakeholders.
“At the climate forum in Baku we would like to provide all necessity platforms to the countries to deliver their messages, to discuss, to negotiate the problems, to find the conclusions, to find some solutions for different issues. I think it will be a very interesting time in November in Baku.”
He wants to bring the parties together, to fulfill their promises, so that the world can meet the goals and ambitions of the Paris Climate Agreement.
“We now only have 73 days before COP29 begins and Parties need to accelerate their engagement on this top negotiating priority to reach consensus,” he said
SIDS
In Tonga the COP29 delegation met with the leaders of several countries, including the Prime Minister of Tonga, Hon. Hu‘akavameiliku, and also the United Nations Secretary General Guterres and the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Baroness Scotland KC.
On Tuesday in Nuku’alofa, HE Babayev signed a $10 million contribution from the Government of Azerbaijan to support SIDS countries, and this is separate from the COP pledges.
Azerbaijan
HE Babayev is an Azerbaijan’s Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, in a country with a population of 10.14 million and a GDP amounting to over $78 billion.
He believes it is possible for fossil-fuel producing countries to change to green growth.
“It is very important to see how you are planning to develop your country. Azerbaijan selected a green growth direction. We are an oil and gas country in the past and now turn our economy to green, to renewables.”
He expects within ten years that they will be producing a surplus of renewable energy. They are planning to export renewable energy and to build a cable from the Caspian Sea, from Azerbaijan to Europe.
“That’s why there is a chance for oil and gas countries, fossil fuel producing countries, to demonstrate how the country’s vision or perspectives can completely change to green growth, to a green direction, and also a chance to share this direction with other countries, because fossil fuel producing countries also have their own programme of development. Our intention is to invite them to share their experiences and share best practice and move the further development of the countries to green growth,” he said.
