Azerbaijan hands over COP presidency to Brazil, calls for urgent climate action photo

Azerbaijan has officially handed over the Presidency of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to Brazil, concluding its leadership of COP29 under the guidance of President Ilham Aliyev, according to local media reports.

During its tenure, Azerbaijan sought to bring countries together, act as an impartial broker, and push for the highest possible levels of ambition in global climate action.

At the opening of COP30 in Belém, COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev delivered a powerful address emphasising the need for countries to honour commitments made in previous COP meetings. In a formal handover, Mr. Babayev passed the COP Presidency to Brazil and to COP30 President, Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago.

In his speech, President Babayev stressed Azerbaijan’s ongoing engagement in global climate governance, calling for the fulfilment of the historic Baku Finance Goal, agreed at COP29 last year. He reminded delegates that the world has entered “a decade that demands delivery, not debate,” emphasising that while climate agreements are collective, their implementation relies on individual action by each country.

On the subject of climate finance, the COP29 President highlighted three critical milestones for the next decade in support of developing countries:

• Doubling adaptation finance by 2025, which he described as “urgent”;

• Tripling outflows from UN climate funds by 2030;

• Mobilising at least $300 billion per year by 2035.

He underscored the timing of these financial goals, noting that countries are now submitting updated climate plans and “cannot cut emissions or protect communities if they cannot count on capital.”

“A changing world is no excuse for backtracking,” he warned. “We already knew that the world was changing when we agreed on the goal. Many used these changes to justify not going further. They cannot be used again as a reason for not meeting commitments.”

In a symbolic gesture, COP29’s social media channels published a figurative “invoice” detailing recent climate finance pledges, underscoring accountability. President Babayev cautioned that backtracking in the first year of implementation could “undermine the entire process,” but he also offered a positive outlook for the upcoming summit.

“By fulfilling past promises, we restore faith in the system. We prove that building more agreements is not in vain. We dismantle the distrust that we have seen too often. And we restore COP’s sense of purpose,” he concluded, setting the stage for ambitious negotiations at COP30.

By Tamilla Hasanova