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Azerbaijan holds high-level meeting on climate challenges of African continent

06 September 2025 18:55 (UTC +04:00)

Azerbaijan holds high-level meeting on climate challenges of the African continent, APA reports.

High-level ministerial meeting entitled "Climate Challenges of the African Continent: Responding to Africa's Special Situation and Needs" was held today, initiated and organized by the Azerbaijani COP29 Presidency.

The event on the special situation and needs of Africa, which is considered one of the most sensitive topics for the African continent in the climate negotiations process, was organized within the framework of the 2nd Climate Week of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. A total of more than 200 representatives from about 50 countries, as well as various international organizations and funds, participated in the event.

COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev, COP30 President-designate Andre Correa do Lago, Ethiopian Minister of Planning and Development Fitsum Assefa Adela, Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission Ambassador Amr Alcovaili, and UNFCCC African Negotiator Richard Muyungi delivered speeches at the opening ceremony.

During his speech, M. Babayev emphasized the ability of African countries to mitigate the negative impacts of the current challenges arising from climate change in Africa and the importance of the decisions adopted at COP29 in this regard. He informed the participants that the COP29 Presidency takes into account the interests of all parties, including the African continent, and will continue to work in this direction.

COP30 President-designate A.K. Lago thanked the COP29 Presidency for keeping Africa's challenges in mind, and stated that the COP30 Presidency would continue the tradition of the COP29 Presidency paying special attention to the challenges of the African continent.

Ethiopia’s Minister of Planning and Development, F.A. Adela, stressed the continent’s need for support in the fight against climate change, and thanked the Azerbaijani side for its contribution to the organization of the event and the overall success of the 2nd Climate Week in Ethiopia.

After opening speeches by Ambassador A. Alcovaili, Representative of the African Union, and R. Muyungi, Chairperson of the UNFCCC African Negotiating Group from Tanzania, the event continued with two plenary sessions. The relevant ministers and high-level representatives of African countries emphasized that the continent’s special situation in the context of climate change is reflected in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and that this issue should be taken into account in climate negotiations. They commended the Azerbaijani COP29 Presidency for organizing this event, which significantly contributed to drawing international attention to the special situation of Africa, as well as for the opportunity created.

In the plenary discussions, states, as well as representatives of international organizations and stakeholders, exchanged views on the topic, drawing attention to the importance of solutions led by Africa, in addition to international action.

The high-level ministerial meeting concluded with closing remarks by COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev and COP30 President-elect President M. Babayev and André Correa do Lago.