UNFCCC COP 29 President Designate Mukhtar Babayev, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, has published a letter presenting the incoming Presidency’s vision “to enhance ambition and enable action” and outlining pathways to turn this vision into reality. The letter highlights key “calendar moments” and identifies collaborative networks for complementary action.

Themed, ‘In Solidarity for a Green World,’ the letter describes the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November, as “a litmus test” for the Paris Agreement, global climate action, and cooperation, with a new collective quantified goal (NCQG) on climate finance as its “centerpiece.” Among “principles of action,” the letter emphasizes the latest science and the outcomes of the first Global Stocktake (GST), engagement of global, regional, national, and subnational groups, a “holistic view” of sustainable development, and “an inclusive process that delivers inclusive outcomes.”

According to the letter, the two mutually reinforcing pillars of the COP 29 Presidency’s vision are:

• Enhancing ambition, by setting out clear plans to keep the 1.5ºC temperature goal within reach while leaving no one behind through ambitious, comprehensive, and robust nationally determined contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), and Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs) and through “wider engagement in international cooperation”; and
• Enabling action through the means of implementation and support, including by agreeing a fair and ambitious NCQG on climate finance and finalizing the operationalisation of Article 6 (cooperative implementation).

The President Designate contends that progress on the two pillars will help support action on finance, trade and investment, energy, biodiversity, sustainable agriculture, water, science, technology and innovation, sustainable urbanization, and health, among other global priorities.

The Presidency’s milestones outlined in the letter include a heads-of-delegation-level retreat in Azerbaijan from 26-27 July, the appointment of a ministerial pair for the NCQG negotiations (Denmark and Egypt), and a high-level energy dialogue during the 79th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and the New York Climate Week. During COP 29, the Presidency will convene the World Leaders Climate Action Summit, leader-level dialogues on key topics, and thematic days to platform new initiatives, celebrate successes, and share best practices.

The letter further lays out pathways to delivery on: finance and the NCQG; Article 6; loss and damage; NDCs and mitigation; NAPs and adaptation; BTRs and transparency; and collaborative networks for complementary action. [Publication: In Solidarity for a Green World] [The Road to Baku] [Host Country Website] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on Roadmap to Mission 1.5°C]