New Climate Diplomacy Department to represent Azerbaijan on global platforms

A Climate Diplomacy Department has been established under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan.

Deputy Foreign Minister Yalchin Rafiyev announced the development at the conference titled “Agriculture Mobilizing Countries for Nature,” held as part of the 18th Azerbaijan International Agricultural Exhibition Caspian Agro in Baku, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

According to him, the new department will become a permanent participant in international climate platforms and will ensure Azerbaijan’s contribution to negotiation processes.

“Accordingly, we will be able to form a new political stance both in the economy and in our approach to the climate agenda,” Rafiyev noted.

The deputy minister also emphasised that as the presiding country of COP29, Azerbaijan intends to focus on preserving previously achieved results.

“We can advance the process and make it more effective. But our main goal is to move from ambition to implementation and ensure the fulfilment of already reached agreements,” he added.

The 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP29), held in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November 2024, marked a significant milestone in global climate negotiations. Despite facing challenges and criticisms, the conference achieved several notable outcomes.

One of its most important outcomes was the agreement by developed countries to mobilise at least $300 billion annually by 2035 to support climate action in developing nations—tripling the previous commitment. This new finance goal, part of the Baku Climate Unity Pact, is also tied to a broader roadmap to scale global climate finance to $1.3 trillion per year by 2035, involving both public and private sources.

Another major achievement was the operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund, long demanded by vulnerable nations. With over $730 million in pledges, the fund is set to begin financing projects in 2025, helping countries recover from climate-induced disasters and adapt to long-term environmental challenges. COP29 also finalised the long-delayed rules for international carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, enabling countries to cooperate on reducing emissions through trading systems.

By Khagan Isayev