BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 21. The COP29 Declaration on Water and Climate Action will promote dialogue and partnership to address common challenges, COP29 President and Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan Mukhtar Babayev said at the COP29 High-Level Event "Celebrating Water’s Lifeline for Climate, Nature, and People" today, TurkicWorld reports.
"Continuing to tackle the interconnected global crisis, which includes climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and desertification, water must be considered as a cross-cutting issue to be integrated into all aspects of global policy. This is why this year’s COP29 Presidency agenda places a strong emphasis on water as a key factor in climate action.
We recognize that addressing water issues requires constant attention and action within the framework of various COPs. The mentioned declaration will serve as a catalyst for dialogue and partnership aimed at solving common challenges caused by climate stress, improving water and climate policy, and strengthening scientific research on the causes and impacts of climate change on water resources and ecosystems," he pointed out.
According to Babayev, the Water and Climate Action Dialogue will also be launched.
"This platform will serve as a cooperation mechanism between COPs, ensuring continuity and maintaining focus on water issues. It will explore the interconnections between water, climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and desertification, with particular attention to actions at the international and regional levels," he added.
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 chairmanship 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.
