As COP29 concludes, lead negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev reflects on its outcomes and legacy. In an exclusive interview with AnewZ, he discusses the next steps in global climate action and shares a message for Brazil, the host of the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference.
The COP29 summit ended last weekend with an agreement that nations will raise three hundred billion dollars towards vulnerable countries affected by climate change. Azerbaijan's lead negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev says it is now important for Baku to keep up the momentum.
"We have just started our presidency. It means for the next one year period, we will work hard to continue our presidency, to come up with new ideas, to help the Brazilian presidency build their own outcomes, a package. Also, as part of Troika, we will need to work closely with UAE and Brazil. But also, in terms of strategic importance for Azerbaijan, we need to keep... We maintain the legacy of Baku, we need to strengthen it, we need to promote it, because Baku was one of the historical COPs, ever. Because of its outcomes, because of the level of attendance, because of many important pledges and promises made by certain countries, and because of many innovations. And we need to keep, in the next few years at least, this legacy to be strengthened, maintained, and then further build upon it by having contributed to the global climate action, including the negotiations," Rafiyev stated.
As COP29 concluded, some countries, including India, Bolivia, and Cuba, voiced concerns over the outcome. Rafiyev explains the different positions these countries took and what steps will be needed to continue dialogue and collaboration moving forward.
"India was, of course, trying to block the whole decision, but they came to us, asked for a floor in the statement, but did not mention when. If it is before the adoption or after. And we, after the adoption, we gave them a floor and they expressed their view. When it comes to Bolivia, Bolivia was not against the decision, was not blocking it, just expressed solidarity with India. Those positions that the figure is low, that the developed countries should do more, and Cuba as well. So their dissatisfaction was not about the decision, but about the approach by the developed countries,"- he said.
Looking ahead to next year's UN Climate Change Conference at the port city of Belém, Rafiyev has a key message for the upcoming Brazilian presidency.
"Do not bring the political, geopolitical divides into the negotiations, I would say, into the negotiations process. Because if you bring these geopolitical divides, you end up in a situation where even though this is something that affects humanity, you cannot act impartially. Like those issues that you have been experiencing in other parts, in other areas of geopolitics, you have been observing also here,"- shared Rafiyev with AnewZ.
The UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) held in Baku from November 11 to 23 and led to significant progress in the fight against climate change.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela should be considered "closed in its entirety", but gave...
China announced a sweeping inspection of fire-safety standards in high-rise buildings nationwide on Saturday after a deadly fire in Hong Kong left at ...
The death toll from floods and landslides following cyclonic rains in the Indonesian island of Sumatra has risen to 303, the head of the country's dis...
Hong Kong on Saturday mourned the 128 people known to have died in a massive fire at a high-rise apartment complex, a toll that is likely to rise with...
The global recall of Airbus A320 aircraft has triggered widespread disruption across several major airlines, forcing flight cancellations in the Unite...
President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan held talks with Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, in Beijing on Tuesday, furthering the countries' comprehensive strategic partnership.
Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are close to finalizing their border agreement, with only technical issues remaining. The deal aims to resolve long-standing disputes over roads, water resources, and territorial claims.
The COP29 UN Climate Change Conference, held in Baku concluded with a landmark agreement to increase public climate finance for developing countries to $300 billion annually by 2035
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev addressed the World Leaders' Climate Action Summit in Baku, welcoming global delegations
At least 47 people have died and another 21 are reported missing following ten days of heavy rainfall, floods, and landslides across Sri Lanka, local media reported on Thursday (27 November).
Hong Kong fire authorities said they expected to wrap up search and rescue operations on Friday after the city's worst fire in nearly 80 years tore through a massive apartment complex, killing at least 128 people, injuring 79 and leaving around 200 still missing.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited sailors aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier in the Latin American region on Thursday, amid a military buildup by President Donald Trump’s administration that has heightened tensions with Venezuela.
At least 153 people have been killed in Sri Lanka after landslides and flooding caused by Cyclone Ditwah, officials said on Saturday, with 191 others missing and more than half a million affected nationwide.
The Spanish agricultural sector has been placed on high alert following the confirmation that African Swine Fever (ASF) has resurfaced in the country for the first time in over thirty years.
The death toll from devastating floods across Southeast Asia climbed to at least 183 people on Friday (28 November). Authorities in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Sri Lanka struggle to rescue stranded residents, restore power and communications, and deliver aid to cut-off communities.
At least 47 people have died and another 21 are reported missing following ten days of heavy rainfall, floods, and landslides across Sri Lanka, local media reported on Thursday (27 November).
Rescuers in Thailand readied drones on Thursday to airdrop food parcels, as receding floodwaters in the south and neighbouring Malaysia brightened hopes for the evacuation of those stranded for days, while cyclone havoc in Indonesia killed at least 28.
Floods and landslides brought about by torrential rain in Indonesia's North Sumatra province have killed at least 28 people by Thursday, with rescue efforts hampered by what an official described as a "total cut-off" of roads and communications.
Cameras from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) on Saturday (22 November) captured Hawaii's Kilauea volcano spewing flowing lava from its crater in its latest eruption.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment