Baku brings the heat: COP29 grabs Italian, Vatican headlines PHOTO

COP29 has captured the media spotlight across Italy and the Vatican, as leading outlets extensively cover the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, hosted by Azerbaijan.

Major Italian and Vatican publications — including ANSA, RAI, AGI, La Repubblica, Sky TG24, il Giornale, Qui Finanza, il Dolomiti, Italia Oggi, il Sole 24 Ore, il Fatto Quotidiano, AgenSIR, Roma Sette, Green and Blue, and Faro di Roma — have featured detailed reports on the event, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

The coverage has focused on the speech delivered by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the COP29 Leaders’ Summit in Baku and the message addressed to summit participants by Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church.

The publications noted that in her speech, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her satisfaction with Azerbaijan's chairmanship of COP29, describing the conference as a significant climate initiative aimed at promoting peace. Meloni emphasized Italy's commitment to not only renewable energy sources but also to natural gas, biofuels, hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage technologies. She underscored the importance of establishing a new climate finance target at COP29, emphasizing that these efforts are crucial for advancing climate goals.

Additionally, the articles highlighted Pope Francis's address to the participants of COP29. The Pontiff called on countries to work together to develop a new financial architecture to support climate action. He expressed hope that the outcomes of COP29 would pave the way for an ambitious agreement that fosters inclusive development. Pope Francis stressed the urgency of the climate crisis, declaring that further delays in addressing climate change are unacceptable. He also emphasized the connection between environmental protection and the preservation of peace, stating that the summit has the potential to define a new collective quantified climate finance target.

As COP29 enters its fourth day on November 14, the conference features Climate FIT Day (Climate Finance, Investment, and Trade Day).  The Baku Initiative on Climate Finance, Investment, and Trade (BICFIT) will be unveiled during this session.

The 29th session of the Conference of the Parties, which began on November 11 at the Baku Olympic Stadium, marks the largest event Azerbaijan has hosted to date and the first time such a conference is held in the region. The event will continue until November 22.

By Tamilla Hasanova