APA News Agency interviewed Vladanka Andreeva, UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan
- First of all, we would like to get acquainted with your views on the progress of Azerbaijan's preparatory process for the 29th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Agreement on Climate Change (COP29). How do you evaluate the preparation process for this prestigious event in our country, including the work done so far?
- I would like to start by acknowledging that the incoming Presidency had a rather short time to prepare for COP29 in comparison with previous host governments, with less than a year to prepare for the largest multi-lateral decision-making gathering on climate.
We need to keep in mind that COP is not an event but a continuous process. Each COP is a building block to the next with a shared goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, achieving net-zero emissions, and helping vulnerable communities to adapt. At COPs, all Parties must come to the negotiating tables with forward-looking solutions and readiness to make ambitious commitments to keep the 1.5-degree target alive. The success of COP29 is a shared responsibility of all Parties and not merely the host government.
With this said the COP29 Presidency has made huge strides to effectively prepare both on substance and operations. As part of the Presidency's vision to enhance ambition and enable action, the Presidency launched The Baku Global Climate Transparency Platform (BTP) to support developing country Parties in the preparation and submission of the BTRs and to promote collaboration and knowledge exchange amongst Parties on the full spectrum of the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF), and better mobilize capacity-building resources where they are most needed. Azerbaijan has committed to leading by example in preparing its own BTR and is in the process of finalizing a new generation of NDC 3.0 before COP29.
The COP29 Presidency has been actively engaged in key milestone events on the road to COP29, most recently the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP16), UNGA, New York Climate Week, annual sessions of the IMF-World Bank and a series of bilateral meetings with development banks and government officials to discuss COP29 priority areas, advance climate finance targets and mobilize support for the best possible outcome at COP29.
In early October, the COP29 Presidency engaged in intensive diplomacy by convening the High-Level Ministerial Dialogue on climate finance to support the preparation of a draft negotiating text and Pre-COP to bridge divides and deliver early progress on key issues ahead of COP29.
The COP29 Presidency announced 14 key strategic initiatives under its Action Agenda jointly to advance climate action, encouraging non-party stakeholder engagement, and supporting the COP29 vision in key areas such as climate finance, renewable energy, human capital, agriculture, water, and urban resilience amongst others.
As the UN in Azerbaijan, we have provided coordinated system-wide support to the Presidency from day one. In this context, I co-chaired the Global UN COP29 Task Force together with the Special Advisor to the Secretary-General on Climate, Mr. Hart which brought together around 25 UN entities that have been providing technical support for 12, out of the 14 Presidency Initiatives.
On the operational/logistical side, preparations are now in their final stage, including venue construction and installation efforts in line with requirements for sustainability, accessibility, and inclusivity; registration of participants; issuance of e-visa; media services and transportation arrangements. For the first time in COP history, the COP29 Operating Company has established a dedicated center for COP29, offering support on organizational, technical, and participatory matters. The company has hosted regular briefings with key stakeholders to update on developments and all legal agreements such as the Host Country Agreement and MoU on security cooperation have been duly signed between the Government of Azerbaijan and UNFCCC. Baku stands ready to welcome the world.
- You represent an authoritative organization such as the United Nations in Azerbaijan. What are your expectations from the 29th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Agreement on Climate Change?
-Let me start by pointing out that COP29 is one of three major Rio COPs happening within only six weeks of each other, underscoring their interconnectedness. Together, the Biodiversity COP16, Climate COP29, and Desertification COP16 are crucial reminders that there will be no stable climate without a healthy natural environment and land and vice versa.
COP29 will be a pivotal opportunity to accelerate action to tackle the climate crisis. With global temperatures hitting record highs, and extreme weather events affecting people around the globe, from flooding in Spain to hurricanes in the US, extreme heat in India, and droughts in Brazil and Southern Africa, COP29 will bring together leaders from governments, business, and civil society to advance concrete solutions to the defining issue of our time.
Country delegations will have two weeks to find common solutions to the pressing challenges posed by climate change, including ways to scale up climate finance which will be on top of the agenda for COP29, and make progress on other key negotiating items related to Adaptation, Mitigation and the continued operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund.
Ideally, the conference should serve as a launchpad for detailed discussions on ambitious sector-wide Nationally Determined Contributions, NDCs 3.0, commonly known as national climate action plans, which are due in early 2025 ahead of COP30 in Brazil.
If done right, such plans will be strictly aligned with the 1.5-degree Celsius, limit global warming and double as investment plans advancing the SDGs.
However, new data from this year’s Emissions Gap Report shows that annual GHG emissions are at an all-time high with immediate action required to prevent catastrophic spikes in temperature and keep the 1.5-degree target alive. In practical terms, this means that countries must commit to cutting 42% of annual GHG emissions by 2030 and 57% by 2035 in the next round of NDCs.
Transparency in implementing the NDCs is equally important. Therefore, countries must submit Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs) covering all emissions and all sectors as the agreed means of tracking and showing collective progress on the implementation of NDCs towards 1.5°C.
The targets of the Paris Agreement won’t be met unless we channel resources at scale and speed to the world’s most vulnerable communities. We must scale up climate finance and put the planet and the poorest at the center of everything we do. There is still hope.
-As you know, Baku Olympic Stadium has been reserved for COP29. Have you visited the place? What are your first impressions?
-I visited the venue last week, as a part of the visit of the diplomatic corps, and again this week. I was truly impressed by the changes made in just one week – the venue looked ready to welcome delegates from all over the world. Among other things, I appreciated how there were dedicated lanes for persons with disabilities and accessibility help desks, including the use of the braille alphabet across the venue, which is so important to make the conference accessible and inclusive.
-The main goal of COP29 is to define a new financial mechanism in the field of combating climate change and to provide the necessary funds for it. Do you think the participating parties will be able to achieve the new financial target as mentioned above?
-COP29 must be an enabling COP, delivering concrete and ambitious outcomes on climate finance, especially the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) to succeed in the initial “$100 billion” finance target. Trillions of dollars, not billions, are required for countries to drastically reduce their GHG emissions and protect lives and livelihoods from the worsening impacts of climate change.
We need an outcome that builds trust and confidence, catalyzes the trillions needed, and generates momentum to reform the international financial architecture. Developing countries must have confidence that finance will be available to implement ambitious climate plans and support their mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage efforts. A strong outcome at COP29 on finance is a must to empower countries to adopt bolder climate commitments in their new pledges.
It is therefore crucial to continue making serious efforts to reform the financial architecture – both international and domestic – to ensure that emerging and developing countries can equitably access the finance and technology needed to support their climate and development efforts.
In a context marked by high levels of indebtedness, elevated interest rates, reduced fiscal space, and geopolitical uncertainty, the multiplication of investment sources and types, including in the form of grants and concessional financing, is likewise essential.
As the eternal optimist I am, I trust that COP29 will conclude with a positive outcome on finance. As the United Nation’s Secretary General recently said “We are playing with fire….but there can be no more time for playing”. We must act and back this action up with finance.
-Who will lead the UN delegation that will attend the COP29?
-COP29 is the largest UN-organized multilateral party-driven process on climate change. The UNFCCC Secretariat, represented by the Executive Secretary, Mr. Simon Steel, is entrusted with managing this complex and highly technical process.
The UN will be represented at the highest level, by the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Antonio Guterres, who will attend the World Leaders Climate Action Summit and other high-level gatherings at COP29. Political-level engagement at COP29 is coordinated through the Executive Office of the Secretary-General and his Special Advisor on Climate Action and Just Transition, Mr. Selwin Hart.
In addition, COP29 will be attended by numerous UN Principals representing entities such as UNEP, UNDP, WHO, UNICEF, UN Women, FAO, UNHCR- just to name a few- and other UN agencies, as well as Resident Coordinators from different regions of the world and UN Observers at large.
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