BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 21. The United Nations (UN) is urged to enhance cooperation among its various structures and member conventions to tackle water-related issues, Special Representative for Nature at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the UK and Northern Ireland Ruth Davies said at the COP29 high-level roundtable themed "Water for Climate: Integrating Water Solutions into NDCs and NAPs Biodiversity, Water and Climate Nexus" today, TurkicWorld reports.
"For those who have worked for many years in the areas of climate, conservation, and food security, the interconnectedness of these issues through water is obvious and natural. Water not only supports the sustainability of each of these areas but also acts as an indicator of emerging issues.
It is clear that water plays a key role in the well-being of all the world's ecosystems. Let me give an example that illustrates its importance to the health of tropical forests, a topic at the heart of the discussions of the UN Climate Change Convention. The health of tropical forests is directly dependent on water, with forests themselves being an important element of the water cycle. They regulate and provide the precipitation that feeds the tropical agricultural basins that feed millions of people. Thus, healthy water sustains ecosystems, and healthy ecosystems in turn sustain the water cycle. To achieve this goal, there is a need for greater synergy between the various UN entities and its conventions," she emphasized.
To note, the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), which will run until November 22, opened at the Baku Olympic Stadium on November 11. It is the largest event organized by Azerbaijan to date, and the first time in the region that it is being held in Azerbaijan.
Within COP29, the highest-level event - the summit of world leaders on climate action - was held on November 12–13.
The main expectation from COP29 is to agree on a fair and ambitious New Collective Quantitative Goal (NCQG) on climate finance. The COP29 Presidency has launched 14 initiatives that include linkages between climate action and the Sustainable Development Goals, including green energy corridors, green energy storage, harmony for climate resilience, clean hydrogen, methane reduction in organic waste, action on green digital technologies, and other topics.
In addition to being a top priority that creates the conditions for action, creating climate finance will also help fulfill the 1.5°C pledge by bringing everyone together.
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is an agreement signed at the Rio Earth Summit in June 1992 to prevent dangerous human interference in the climate system. The acronym COP (Conference of Parties) stands for "Conference of Parties" and is the highest legislative body overseeing the implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change.
A total of 198 countries are parties to the Convention. Unless otherwise decided by the parties, COP is held annually. The first COP event was held in March 1995 in Berlin, and its secretariat is located in Bonn.
