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.
Residents of northern Afghanistan began a clean-up operation on Tuesday after a powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake left at least 20 dead and almost 1,0...
Australia will provide households, including renters and those without solar panels, with at least three hours of free solar power daily under a new g...
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for 4 November, covering the latest developments you need to know....
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that Washington would explore "flexibility" for American troops stationed in South Korea to addres...
Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged to boost mutual investment and deepen economic cooperation with Russia, as Moscow faces growing Western sanct...
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
Russia said on Monday that its troops had advanced in the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a transport and logistics hub that they have been trying to capture for over a year, but Ukraine said its forces were holding on.
At least 37 people have died and five are missing after devastating floods and landslides hit central Vietnam, officials said Monday, as a new typhoon threatens to worsen the disaster.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he does not believe the United States is going to war with Venezuela despite growing tensions, though he suggested President Nicolás Maduro’s time in power may be nearing its end.
On October 21, 2025, an Azerbaijani Airlines (AZAL) Gulfstream G650, call sign 4K-ASG, touched down at Yerevan’s Zvartnots Airport. It was a historic event, commented many.
A powerful earthquake measuring 6.3 struck near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif early on Monday, leaving at least 20 people dead, hundreds injured, and causing significant damage to the city’s famed Blue Mosque, authorities said, warning that the death toll was expected to rise.
Brazil opens three weeks of events linked to the COP30 climate summit, hoping to showcase a world still determined to tackle global warming.
Residents of Hoi An, Vietnam’s UNESCO-listed ancient town, began cleaning up on Saturday as floodwaters receded following days of torrential rain that brought deadly flooding and widespread destruction to the central region.
At least 13 people have been killed and 11 remain missing after record rainfall caused severe flooding across central Vietnam, submerging homes and disrupting transport in the historic cities of Hue and Hoi An.
The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, warned on Tuesday that humanity has failed to limit global warming to 1.5°C and must take urgent action.
Hurricane Melissa has made landfall in south-western Jamaica as a category five storm, unleashing violent winds, torrential rain and life-threatening floods across the island.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment