BAKU, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Countries agreed to a hard-fought COP29 deal to provide $300 billion in annual climate finance by 2035.
But while some delegates reacted to the agreement's early Sunday with a standing ovation, others voiced anger and lambasted wealthy nations for not doing more.
Here are some of their comments:
U.N. FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY SIMON STIELL
"It has been a difficult journey, but we've delivered a deal. This new finance goal is an insurance policy for humanity, amid worsening climate impacts hitting every country.
"This deal will keep the clean energy boom growing and protect billions of lives. It will help all countries to share in the huge benefits of bold climate action: more jobs, stronger growth, cheaper and cleaner energy for all.
"But like any insurance policy – it only works – if the premiums are paid in full, and on time. No country got everything they wanted, and we leave Baku with a mountain of work still to do. So this is no time for victory laps."
INDIA REPRESENTATIVE CHANDNI RAINA
"We are disappointed in the outcome which clearly brings out the unwillingness of the developed country parties to fulfil their responsibilities."
"I regret to say that this document is nothing more than an optical illusion. This, in our opinion, will not address the enormity of the challenge we all face. Therefore, we oppose the adoption of this document,"
U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL ANTONIO GUTERRES
"I had hoped for a more ambitious outcome – on both finance and mitigation – to meet the great challenge we face. But this agreement provides a base on which to build. It must be honoured in full and on time. Commitments must quickly become cash."
BOLIVIA REPRESENTATIVE DIEGO PACHECO BALANZA (speaking via a translator)
"We need a finance which will properly grant us the resources we need to take steps. The finance that is hugely below our requirements is an insult and it is a flagrant violation of justice and climate equity.
"Climate finance, as it stands in this agreement, is extinguishing international cooperation. We are moving on from the time of leaving of no-one behind to an era of let every man save himself."
Azerbaijan’s leadership as COP29 President was praised during high-level meetings in Mexico, where the two countries discussed climate diplomacy and the expansion of bilateral ties.
A delegation led by Yalchin Rafiyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Chief Negotiator of COP29, participated in Climate Week in Panama, held from May 19–21, 2025, in Panama City.
With a global outlook and local context, Baku Climate Action Week (BCAW) will convene key stakeholders—from policy and finance to science, culture, and civil society—to help lay the foundations for a successful COP30. This will be the second time Azerbaijan has hosted BCAW.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry has established the Climate Diplomacy Department to strengthen Baku's diplomatic role in the Baku-Belém Roadmap, aiming to foster international cooperation for a significant increase of financial resources to support developing countries.
At the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev highlighted Azerbaijan’s climate leadership, unveiling the Baku to Belem Roadmap. The initiative aims to scale climate finance to $1.3 trillion by 2035, with global cooperation to support developing nations.
The United Nations is ordering over 60 offices and agencies to submit plans to cut 20% of their staff by mid-June as part of a wide reform effort to address a serious budget gap.
Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has praised Türkiye’s large-scale infrastructure projects, calling them a model for the UK to learn from.
President Donald Trump announced that he will increase steel tariffs from 25% to 50%, a move that could push up costs for industries relying on steel, including housing and auto manufacturing.
U.S. stocks wrapped up the week with a mixed finish after President Donald Trump accused China of breaking a recent trade agreement, reigniting global market jitters just weeks after a deal was struck in Geneva.
Canada is facing a growing wildfire crisis, with 175 active blazes across the country—95 of them uncontained—prompting evacuations, military support, and state of emergency declarations.
AnewZ takes to the streets of Yerevan and Baku to ask a simple yet deeply complex question: How do you see peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan? In the first part of our special report, we hear the hopes, doubts, and scars still shaping people’s perspectives on both sides.
On May 28, the inauguration ceremony of Lachin International Airport was held.
A car drove into crowds of Liverpool fans celebrating the club’s Premier League title in the city centre on Monday evening, injuring dozens including 4 children. A 53-year-old man believed to be the driver was arrested at the scene.
EU ministers have greenlit a massive €150 billion defense investment fund—dubbed the Security Action for Europe (SAFE)—as the bloc ramps up its military readiness in response to Russia’s aggression and growing uncertainty over U.S. security guarantees.
Kyiv faced a large-scale Russian drone and missile assault overnight, with explosions and gunfire echoing throughout the city, forcing residents to shelter in subway stations.
A massive landslide in southern Switzerland this week buried the village of Blatten and blocked a river, creating a growing risk of flooding. Millions of cubic meters of ice, mud, and rock crashed down from a mountain on Wednesday, flooding the few buildings left in the village.
The Green Climate Fund (GCF)-backed project, “Strengthening Climate Resilience of Vulnerable Agricultural Livelihoods in Southern Iraq” (SRVALI), was officially launched on the sidelines of the 5th Baghdad International Water Conference.
A staggering 4 billion people—half of the world’s population—experienced at least 30 additional days of extreme heat over the past year due to human-induced climate change, a new international study revealed Friday.
The next five years are likely to be the warmest in recorded history, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), as rising global temperatures push the planet closer to surpassing key climate thresholds with wide-ranging consequences.
A seabird chick found with 778 plastic pieces inside its body on a remote island between Australia and New Zealand has become a powerful symbol of the global plastic pollution crisis. Scientists say the plastic has caused chronic illness and cognitive decline in the bird, raising urgent concerns abo
The United Nations is ordering over 60 offices and agencies to submit plans to cut 20% of their staff by mid-June as part of a wide reform effort to address a serious budget gap.
Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has praised Türkiye’s large-scale infrastructure projects, calling them a model for the UK to learn from.
President Donald Trump announced that he will increase steel tariffs from 25% to 50%, a move that could push up costs for industries relying on steel, including housing and auto manufacturing.
U.S. stocks wrapped up the week with a mixed finish after President Donald Trump accused China of breaking a recent trade agreement, reigniting global market jitters just weeks after a deal was struck in Geneva.
Canada is facing a growing wildfire crisis, with 175 active blazes across the country—95 of them uncontained—prompting evacuations, military support, and state of emergency declarations.
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