Heads of delegations have gathered in Shamakhi to discuss the main issues on the COP29 agenda, Azernews reports.

The consultations were attended by the Chair of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) Harry Vreuls, representatives and experts from the UNFCCC Secretariat, ministers responsible for climate issues from Bangladesh and Barbados, as well as over 40 countries chairing international negotiating groups and actively participating in climate discussions.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Lead Negotiator for COP29 Yalchin Rafiyev expressed the determination of the COP29 presidency to achieve progress on all pillars of the Paris Agreement. He stressed the importance of transparent and focused negotiations, calling on the parties to be constructive in areas where disagreements persist in the ongoing climate talks.

Emphasizing that the adoption of the New Collective Quantitative Target (NCQG) on climate finance at COP29 will be a test for the Paris Agreement, Yalchin Rafiyev added that in order to achieve progress in the negotiations, the COP29 Presidency has raised the process to the political level, the Azerbaijani side will continue to promote dialogue at the level of ministers.

Heads of delegations and experts during the inter-sessional period before COP29, and a "ministerial pair" (Egypt and Denmark) has been identified in order to make an additional contribution to the dialogue with the parties. brought to attention. The chief negotiator stressed the importance of further improvement of the current text on the NCQG and called on the parties to increase their efforts.

The chief negotiator of COP29 underlined that the second main priority of Azerbaijan's COP Presidency is to make the 6th article of the Paris Agreement fully operational, and emphasized the importance of showing constructiveness by states and international negotiation groups in matters of disagreement.

Attention was also drawn to the implementation of the final document of the COP28, the conclusion of the remaining open issues on adaptation and mitigation issues.

In the consultations, issues that occupy an important place in the climate agenda and are the main expectations of the Parties and the international community from COP29 - the New Collective Quantitative Target (NCQG) for climate finance, Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, adaptation and mitigation are being discussed in plenary and in groups.

The Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, COP29 President-Designate Mukhtar Babayev also participated in the event.

Mukhtar Babayev expressed his gratitude for appreciating such meetings held between preparatory sessions and supporting the initiatives and efforts of the COP29 Presidency and hailed the parties' solidarity and positive impulse for progress.

In their remarks, Chair of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) Harry Vreuls, Director General of Finance of the UNFCCC Secretariat Danielle Violette and other speakers drew attention to increasing efforts in terms of achieving progress in the negotiations, and noted that the informal agreements held in Shamakhi will be useful in terms of dialogue between the parties.

The participants highly appreciated the role of the COP29 Presidency as a transparent and impartial mediator.

The 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 29) will convene from 11 to 22 November 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

In Baku, preparations are underway for COP29, which will bring together global leaders, experts, and stakeholders to address pressing climate change issues and work towards sustainable solutions.

The conference is expected to serve as a platform for meaningful discussions and collaborations aimed at tackling the challenges posed by climate change on a global scale.