The 29^th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meets in Baku Azerbaijan

The 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) commenced on the 11th of November in Baku, the capital City of Azerbaijan.

In his opening remarks the outgoing COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber emphasized that now is the time to “unite, act, and deliver.” He called on all parties to contribute to the capitalization of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD), and urged delivering a robust New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance in COP29.

COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev, Minister for Ecology and Natural Resources, in his opening address emphasized that COP29 is an “unmissable moment”, and should not be silent. He calls for the need to make pledges into real contributions and wants to see enhanced ambition to enable climate action.

UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell stressed that “climate finance is not charity’’ and a new finance goal is in the best self-interest of all countries and parties: “If two thirds of the world’s nations cannot afford to cut emissions, every nation pays the price.” In acknowledging that a single COP cannot deliver the full transformation that is needed, he stated that ‘‘in Baku we must agree to a new climate Finance Goal’’.

For Solomon Islands some of our key priorities at COP29 are the need to have a clear outcome on phase out of all fossil fuels and to prioritize renewable energy solutions which is supportive of a target to triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030. On loss and damage, we want to ensure that all pledges and commitments at COP28 are delivered to fully operationalize the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD). Whilst on climate finance a New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance (NCQG) should provide new and additional, predictable and adequate (based on science) resources to address the current and evolving needs and priorities of all develop country Parties in accordance with Article 9 of the Paris Agreement. On adaptation, the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) must drive adaptation action at the national and subnational levels, together with the required adaptation finance. Other thematic issues the delegation will follow includes, oceans, carbon trading (Article 6), gender and agriculture to name a few.

The Solomon Islands Delegation to COP29 is led by the Minister for the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM), Hon. Trevor Manemahaga, supported by representatives from other line ministries that includes senior government officers from MECDM, MNPDC, MOFT, MMERE, MAL, MWYCFA, as well as regional organizations, NGOs, civil society, youth groups, and community-based organizations (CBOs).

The 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change meets from the 11th of November and will end on the 22nd of November 2024.