BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 21. The Baku Water Dialogue should be supported and held permanently as an integral part of future COPs, Special Envoy of the UN on Water Resources Retno Marsudi said at the high-level launch event "Celebrating Water’s Lifeline for Climate, Nature, and People," TurkicWorld reports.
"The Baku Dialogue on Water and Climate Action was an important opportunity to integrate the water issue into the climate agenda," she stated.
According to her, climate change manifests itself through water, and water represents a key solution to combat this global challenge. However, the water-climate nexus has remained in the background in discussions on the climate change agenda.
"I am confident that the Baku Dialogue on Water and Climate Action will deepen discussions on water issues and ensure their coherent integration into the climate agenda. This dialogue will continue the water-related initiatives agreed at COP26, COP27, and COP28," she noted.
She emphasized the importance of continuity and sustainability.
Marsudi added that the Baku Dialogue should be held permanently in COP conferences.
"This will ensure that the climate-water nexus is monitored and strengthened over time. The continuity and sustainability of the Baku Dialogue are also important for the effective use of limited time to achieve global water and climate goals, including the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals," she said.
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.
