Finland ready to collaborate with Azerbaijan’s COP29 Presidency Chief climate negotiator says

Finland's chief climate negotiator and head of the Finnish delegation for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Marjo Nummelin has said that Finland is ready to collaborate with Azerbaijan’s COP29 Presidency to achieve a successful and balanced outcome at the upcoming conference in Baku.

"Since Azerbaijan was elected to preside over COP29, our negotiators have been engaging in discussions with colleagues from the presidency team at various meetings, working as part of the EU delegation. It is clear that the presidency will play a crucial role in managing negotiations and ensuring the necessary political leadership," she told Trend, Caliber.Az reports.

Nummelin emphasised that the outcome of COP29 must be balanced, addressing all key issues, including climate change mitigation, adaptation, and financing.

"One of the key objectives for this year is to establish a new collective goal for climate financing for the period after 2025. It is important that this goal encompasses both public funding and broader financial flows necessary for the global transition to clean energy," the chief climate negotiator said. 

"It is important for further steps to be made to implement the outcome of the Global Stocktake, which was concluded in Dubai last year, particularly regarding the historic agreement to transition from fossil fuel use in the energy sector to clean energy," she said.

Nummelin emphasised the need for all countries to uphold this commitment while preparing their next emissions reduction targets under the nationally determined contributions (NDCs), which are to be submitted next year.

"New NDCs are crucial if we aim to uphold the Paris Agreement's target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees. Moreover, there are many other important topics on the agenda, including the rules for international market mechanisms and the action plan on gender issues," she said. 

"Gender issues are a priority for us at every COP. It is essential for gender considerations to be fully integrated into climate policy and financing, and for women to equally participate in the development of climate policy at all levels," Nummelin stated.

In turn, Finnish ambassador for the South Caucasus Kirsti Narinen highlighted the potential for cooperation between the two countries in the field of green energy. 

"Finland has made significant strides toward renewable and carbon-free energy sources within just the past two years, particularly in the wind energy sector. This progress has been driven by political and financial support from the state programmes, a commitment to ending energy trade with Russia, and a shift in public attitude," she noted.

"Finnish innovations and technologies are well known worldwide. Finland is more than willing to share its experience in this transition, as well as its expertise in clean technologies and education," the ambassador stated. 

She expressed confidence that COP29 will raise public awareness of sustainable development issues in Azerbaijan, and that there will be a growing interest among young people in pursuing education in this field.  

The 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) will be held in Azerbaijan this November. This decision was made at the COP28 plenary session in Dubai on December 11, 2023. During two weeks, Baku will become a global hub, welcoming around 70,000 to 80,000 international guests. 

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an agreement signed at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992, aimed at preventing dangerous human interference with the climate system. 

The abbreviation COP means "Conference of the Parties" and refers to the highest decision-making body responsible for overseeing the implementation of the UNFCCC. The Convention has 198 member states. Unless otherwise decided by the parties, the COP is held annually. The first COP event was held in Berlin in March 1995, and its secretariat is based in Bonn.

By Naila Huseynova