African civil societies hail Azerbaijan preparedness to host COP29

As the focus turns to Azerbaijani, the host of the 29th edition of the Conference of Parties, tens of African-based civil societies have committed to work with the host country to push for major decisions during the conference to be held in the city of Baku later this year.

Caliber.Az reports citing the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation that the civil societies say they fully support the COP29 Presidency and the Republic of Azerbaijan, as they embark on the vital mission of steering the global community towards a sustainable, climate-resilient, and ecologically just future.

Led by the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance -PACJA the CSOs say Baku should strive for consensus and compromise to achieve major outcomes on climate financing, global stocktake, adaptation financing and efforts to lower the rising global temperatures.

The upcoming Climate change conference in Bonn Germany, is expected to set the agenda of the COP29 which is slated to take place from the 11th to the 24th of November 2024.

The  Bonn conference gets underway from the 3rd to the 13th of June 2024.

Speaking on the sidelines of the just concluded 2024 UN Civil Society Conference in Nairobi, PACJA Executive Director Dr. Mithika Mwenda said: “We encourage Azerbaijan to provide leadership in promoting dialogue, genuine collaboration, inclusivity, and innovative outreaches as we sound alarm on the urgency of global climate action.”

The civil societies have also welcomed the formation of the COP presidencies Troika.

The Troika brings together the United Arab Emirates which holds the COP28th presidency, Azerbaijan which will assume the COP 29th presidency later this year and Brazil which will take the mantle for COP30  in 2025.

The aim of Troika is to raise and reframe ambition for the next round of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to address all pillars of climate action under the 1.5°C umbrella, with strengthened targets and implementation frameworks.

The African CSOs have further added that the world stands at a pivotal moment where radical and resolute steps are imperative to alleviate the effects of climate change, safeguard vulnerable communities, effectively adapt, build resilience, and conserve our invaluable ecosystems for generations to come.

A statement from the CSOs reads, “As Azerbaijan steps into the role of global leadership for COP29, we wish to express our profound confidence in the country’s capability to foster significant cooperation, inspire ambitious pledges, and navigate the world towards the transition to low-carbon, climate-resilient development pathways.”

The African civil societies are a critical cog in shaping and reframing major outcomes of climate change dialogues.