COP29 NGO coalition grows as Azerbaijan leads call for global ceasefire

Another hybrid meeting of the COP29 Coalition of NGOs took place via Zoom on October 5.

The Coalition continues to grow, now including 335 NGOs from 71 countries. Notably, 108 of these NGOs are also part of like-minded groups with Observer status under the UNFCCC, Caliber.Az reports.

During the meeting, representatives from leading civil society organizations praised Azerbaijan's global initiatives. The Coalition reiterated its call for world states to support Azerbaijan's Joint Call for a Ceasefire in the context of COP29.

Discussions also focused on opportunities for collaboration within COP29, highlighting environmental and gender issues. Speakers from Europe, Africa, and Asia contributed to the dialogue on these topics.

Azerbaijan is represented in the COP29 Coalition by the National NGO Forum of Azerbaijan, which played a key role in founding the Coalition. The group holds regular hybrid meetings to coordinate its activities.

The event is part of the lead-up to the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), scheduled to take place in Azerbaijan this November. Following a decision made during the COP28 plenary session in Dubai on December 11, 2023, Baku is expected to host between 70,000 to 80,000 international participants over two weeks.

Established at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the UNFCCC aims to mitigate the adverse effects of human activity on the climate. The Conference of the Parties (COP), comprising 198 member states, serves as the convention's decision-making body, holding annual meetings, with the first convened in Berlin in 1995. The UNFCCC secretariat is located in Bonn.

As the world prepares for COP29, the focus will remain on collaborative solutions to the pressing climate crisis, emphasizing the critical role of human capital in driving sustainable development and resilience.

By Tamilla Hasanova