COP 29, BAKU ,AZERBAIJAN 11-22 NOV. 2024
Africa group slams slow progress:
The chair of the African group of negotiators, Ali Mohamed, raised concerns over the “lack of significant progress” as week one of COP29 came to an end. He warned that delayed talks on the new finance goal could result in a “stalemate” and reiterated Africa’s support for developing nations’ joint demand for a $1.3 trillion goal. At least half of this should be in grants and concessional finance, he added.
Enhancing energy Access and Just Energy
Transition in Africa
PACJA, ACSEA and partners held discussions focused on the critical link between energy access and climate resilience in Africa, highlighting that over 680 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa lack any form of energy. The speaker emphasized that energy is foundational for development, impacting healthcare, education, and economic growth. Dr. Augustine Njamnshi said that a campaign called the “630 Campaign” was introduced, aiming to mobilize $630 billion by 2030 to improve energy access for these communities.
The discussion underscored the necessity of financing to enable energy access, which in turn would enhance resilience and economic growth. It was noted that without financial support and the right policies, many communities would remain without energy, exacerbating their vulnerabilities.
African CSOs meet with the Africa Group of Negotiators
At the sidelines of COP29, currently taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan, African civil society organizations, united under the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), held a meeting with the Africa Group of Negotiators (AGN), led by AGN chair Ambassador Ali Mohammed. It is a tradition for PACJA’s civil society organizations to meet with the AGN at each COP to receive updates on the progress of negotiations, particularly regarding agendas adopted by Africa as a continent.
Ahead of COP29 Africa Group of Negotiators created a Common Position for Africa in discussions which focused on the Global Goal on Adaptation, Climate Finance, Transboundary Climate Adaptation Risks, and Gender.
During the briefing meeting, the AGN Chair informed that discussions are progressing slowly on certain agendas, such as finance, which was not addressed, though negotiations and dialogues continue.
“Our partners want to see new targets and new obligations kind of being discussed. So that entire provides the implementation of those which the other partners are saying have not been provided for, and it is not our view that that is accurate because the provisions, for example, the adaptation issues have been discussed under the UAE – Belém work program. Issues of mitigation have been discussed in the mitigation work program has also been discussed. The issue of finance has not been discussed except for one dialogue that is provided for. So really that was the main contention during assembly. That’s why the conference was delayed”, Amb Ali Informed.
The UAE-Belem work programme was adopted at COP28 as the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) framework, termed the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience. It is under this framework a two-year UAE-Belém Work Programme (paragraph 39 of Decision CMA.5) on indicators has been established to develop indicators and methodologies for measuring the targets identified in paragraphs 9 and 10 of Decision 2/CMA.5.
However, in this briefing meeting with the AGN Chair, it was highlighted that financial issues in the current negotiations remain contentious and the African Negotiators are advocating for discussions that focus on concrete implementation and ambitious goals.
“The whole issue of UAE dialogue should look at matters of finance because indeed ambition must go hand in hand with the ambition of implementation, ambition of action without commission, and ambition of implementation, then really there’s nothing much”, said Amb Ali Mohammed, the AGN Chair.
Responding to CSOs question on Financing Systems that are not functioning fairly when it comes to Africa, the AGN Chair explained that this has been working against the developing countries especially Africa despite efforts by African heads of state to change the system’s functioning.
“There’s a bigger picture that our heads of state and government have been pushing to change, the whole issue of reforming international financial systems, international financial architecture which was put in place 80 years ago, this year, eight years ago. So, a system that has been put in place once we did not exist as independent countries and governments has continued to be used against us. It has disadvantages in all respects. And the push by our leadership is that system, that unfair system must be replenished. We don’t want favours. That should be a message. No, Africa doesn’t need favours. We need fairness only”, Stressed Amb. Ali Mohammed.
Augustine Njamnshi, the Chair of Political and Technical Affairs, PACJA, said that these updates are key for African CSOs to be able to understand what is going on in negotiations.
“Our key purpose, which is transparency and accountability, not just of those who represent us in these negotiations amid the African Group of Negotiators, but also our own accountability to them because we have a slogan, One Africa, one voice, one position in this forest, or what I would call jungle called negotiations,” said Augustine Njamnshi
The Trump effect:
The upcoming change of government in the US, after the election of Donald Trump as president, could “delay” Colombia’s $40-billion plan for a just energy transition, as the country scouts for donors, environment minister Susana Muhamad told Climate Home News at COP29. Colombia is aiming to channel the funds for the plan through the Inter American Development Bank (IADB) and hopes “to leave it ready before we finish government”, she said.
COP31 stalemate:
A meeting between the climate ministers of the two potential COP31 hosts, Turkiye and Australia, ended with neither backing down in their bid for the support of the “Western Europe and Others” regional group, whose turn it will be to organise the summit. After the meeting in Ankara, Turkiye’s environment minister Murat Kurum posted on X that he had “emphasised our country’s determination to host COP31”. A source with knowledge of negotiations hinted a decision is now unlikely at COP29.
Billionaires tax at G20?
Brazil has used its G20 presidency to push a global tax on billionaires to fund action against climate change, hunger and poverty. Brazil’s climate secretary Ana Toni told Climate Home today that Monday and Tuesday’s G20 leaders summit in Rio de Janeiro is likely to mention the tax. “Let us wait to see the leaders’ decision – to see how far they got it,” she said in Baku.
UN Climate Finance report described as “nonsense”:
Climate Action Network International said today that Thursday’s UN-commissioned climate finance report by a group of economists was “nonsense” which “goes against the Paris Agreement” for saying that only 30% of the external climate finance needs of developing countries (except China) should be met through public finance. “The public finance is there by reining in fossil fuel subsidies, properly taxing the biggest polluters and wealthiest, and slimming down the extraordinary military budgets,” the environmental network of more than 1,800 NGOs said in a statement.
WEEK ONE NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE
Overview – Week one of COP29 was tricky and slow overall, with the Subsidiary Bodies (SBs) finishing in the early hours of Sunday. Week 2 when then ministers take over from the negotiators is likely to be difficult. There was resolution of some issues like the UNFCCC administrative matters, as well as the early approval of two carbon market standards previously adopted by the Article 6.4 Supervisory Body.
There was little progress on the new finance target for the post 2025 period – the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG), with the political issues of the quantum of finance, the contributor base, and who is eligible needing to be taken forward by ministers in week 2. Several issues unfortunately saw the lowest possible outcome (‘rule 16’ – where everything discussed at this sessions is lost and parties will start afresh at the next session) – these included loss and damage, adaptation and the Mitigation Work Program. However, there is a space in the CMA (Paris Agreement) for mitigation – so it still could be discussed in week2 by ministers.
Consultations will continue at various levels, and the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro this week may give some more political impetus.
Negotiation updates at the end of the first week of COP29
New Collective Quantifiable Goal: Agreement on NCQG is the main outcome expected at COP9, and this was the main point of contention during week 1 negotiations. The draft negotiating text coming into the session was initially nine pages, expanded to 34 and “streamlined” to 24 pages by the close of negotiations on Saturday night. The working group Chairs were not able to reduce the options if it meant removing the preferred option of some Party or group, unless they consented, and the request to Parties for “bridging proposals” to reconcile conflicting options largely went unheeded last week. This week, the work of paring down the text and reaching agreement by the end of COP is done under the direction of the COP president. He has the authority to propose solutions to the various controversial issues – like transparency and reporting, access to finance, quality of finance provided, and the headline issue of the amount or quantum – and find a package that all Parties can agree to.
Despite progress, quantum remains largely unaddressed. Developing countries propose figures ranging from $400 billion to $2 trillion. In contrast, the U.S. suggests a $100 billion floor. Structural proposals from developed countries lean toward a multi-layered approach, including a “core” of public finance provided by developed countries and an “outer layer” of likely private finance, but details remain vague.
Contributor base expansion has seen creative but inconclusive ideas, like reporting and recognition of voluntary South-South finance. Historically, such discussions have been mired in debates over the polluter-pays principle and equity, with calls for developed nations to shoulder more responsibility while encouraging emerging economies to contribute.
The Mitigation Work Programme: A new text attempted to consolidate divergent views, but a few parties rejected it. Developing countries like Kenya within the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) expressed interest in advancing the MWP, signalling a potential path forward. Meanwhile, the AGN’s proposal for a $1.3 trillion mitigation fund adds a financial dimension but lacks clarity.
In the closing plenary, the SBI Chair acknowledged the lack of consensus and rejected to adopt the procedural conclusions to forward discussions to CMA 6, leaving the matter unresolved for SB 62 agendas (June 2025). However, the MWP is in the CMA agenda so we might see new developments but this is unclear.
The rejected MWP text had good language on energy, but at COP29, there is a risk of a rollback on fossil fuel commitments. Historical arguments underscore the tension between global energy transitions and the vested interests of major fossil fuel producers.
The Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) grapples with reducing the number of indicators for the goal from 150 to about 45. Modes of implementation (MOI) remain the crux of contention, with developing countries prioritizing finance, capacity building and technical support, while developed countries emphasize “transformative adaptation,” a concept drawn from the IPCC. The matter was forwarded to CMA 6.
The National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), the G77 & China agreed to work on the Co-Facilitators’ revised draft COP decision, making notable progress through detailed discussions and informal consultations. However, consensus on all elements remained elusive. The Presidency indicated it would not address the matter during the second week, deferring it to SBI 62 (June 2025), prompting strong disappointment from various groups who felt agreement was within reach.
Loss and Damage: The review of the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss & Damage (WIM) remains unresolved. This reflects ongoing challenges in establishing a robust finance mechanism for L&D, a recurring theme since its introduction at COP19. The U.S.’s reluctance to commit substantial resources continues to hinder progress, raising concerns about equity and accountability. No agreement on conclusions was reached, so Rule 16 applies and the matter is forwarded to the next session – SB 62 June 2025.
Procedures for the next Global Stocktake (GST-2): the process has been steady, though debates around IPCC’s role persist. While IPCC is recognized as a crucial information source, concerns over constraining its timelines remain divisive. We are also keen to see stronger language on participation, including recognising a space for subnational actors to contribute to ambition climate planning and implementation.
UAE Dialogue: the discussion to decide the mandate of UAE Dialogue (which implemented the l outcomes of the Global Stocktake) is at a stalemate, with little change since discussions in Bonn in June. Serious progress in the NCQG could unlock progress, especially on follow-up modalities.
Features of NDCs: Discussions on the characteristics of NDCs, ‘NDC Features’ will resume on Tuesday with a summary of inputs, and potentially tough conversations on if, and when, this discussion can move forward. WWF views this space as an important opportunity to inform Parties as they develop nationally determined progression; especially in consolidating the learnings from the NDC 3.0, the GST and the NCQG, but we seem yet far from consensus on this in the room, as we head into week two.
Food Systems: Draft conclusions for the joint work on agriculture and food security online portal were adopted. Parties requested the UNFCCC Secretariat to develop templates for submissions to showcase projects and policies supporting climate action.
Article 6 – Market and non-Market Mechanisms: On Article 6.2 and 6.4, the SBSTA forward draft negotiating texts on to the CMA for further negotiations this week under the Presidency, noting that the draft texts do not represent consensus. There are still thorny issues to be resolved on both items related to registries and authorizations. The Article 6.2 draft is a much longer and more comprehensive document. Agreement on these would be a big step toward full operationalization of the market mechanisms under the Paris Agreement. On Article 6.8, SBSTA is sending a report on activities to the CMA that appears to be agreed
