Brussels, 9 October 2024
On Thursday and Friday, EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra will participate in the Pre-COP29 meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan. With just a month to go until the COP29 UN Climate Change Conference (11 – 22 November), this meeting is a key opportunity for ministers from across the globe to come together ahead of the formal negotiations to step up their discussions and pave the way for a successful COP29 outcome, including on climate finance, international carbon markets, adaptation to climate change, and following up on the COP28 commitment to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels.
On Thursday, Commissioner Hoekstra will attend the Plenary discussion ‘Road to COP29′ and three breakout sessions held during the day on climate mitigation, adaptation to climate change and loss and damage, and the new collective quantified goal on climate finance (NCQG). This week, the Council of the EU has approved conclusions on climate finance, while the EU negotiating mandate for COP29 is expected to be agreed at the Environment Council meeting of 15th October. The Commissioner will also give a keynote speech and participate in a panel discussion at a side event called ‘Roadmap to Mission 1.5′, on preparing the next round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for next year, and aligning them with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5C.
The Commissioner will also have bilateral meetings with: Amina J. Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General and Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group; Yasmine Fouad, Egyptian Minister of Environment; Olga Givernet, French Minister-Delegate for Energy, attached to the Minister for the Ecological Transition, Energy, the Climate and Risk Prevention; and Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment of Singapore. In the evening, he will take part in a Ministerial dinner organised by the COP29 Presidency.
On Friday, Commissioner Hoekstra will attend the Plenary discussions, focused on unlocking the potential of carbon markets via Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, and taking forward the outcomes of the first Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement. He will also meet bilaterally during the day with the German State Secretary and Special Envoy for International Climate Action, Jennifer Morgan; the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment of South Africa, Dion George; and the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan, Yerlan Nyssanbayev. The Commissioner’s trip to Baku will close with a meeting with civil society and a discussion with young students from ADA University during its Green Diplomacy Weeks.
Source – EU Commission