A large-scale Climate Week has begun in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. Speaking at the opening ceremony, the representative of the COP29 chairing country emphasized the importance of implementing the historic decisions adopted in Baku to advance the climate agenda.
Nigar Arpadarai, COP29 High-Level Champion, told AZERTAC.
Nigar Arpadarai emphasized that in today’s global context — characterized by distrust, conflicts, and disagreements — the outcomes of COP29 carry particular significance. The decisions adopted in Baku are grounded in the principle of fairness and are designed to support the most vulnerable countries with limited capacity to respond to the climate crisis.
Given the changing global landscape — demographic shifts, trade tensions, and a new arms race — we must also confront the transformative power of emerging technologies. In particular, the artificial intelligence revolution brings both enormous opportunities and significant risks. We must ensure that AI becomes a tool for empowerment, providing broad access to opportunities in all countries, rather than an instrument of digital imperialism.
Innovations driven by human potential and new economic opportunities should be at the center of our focus, rather than merely rules and restrictions.
The success of the COP process depends not only on finance and time but also on the fair and honest approach of all parties. In this regard, the adoption of the Baku Finance Goal represents an important milestone. This goal envisions mobilizing at least USD 300 billion per year for developing countries by 2035, and reaching USD 1.3 trillion per year in climate financing.
Other decisions adopted in Baku included agreements on Article 6, gender issues, adaptation and mitigation, as well as the establishment of the Loss and Damage Fund, which will be ready for disbursement starting in 2025.
Nigar Arpadarai emphasized that donor countries must fulfill the promises made in Baku and explain how they will deliver their share of mobilizing USD 300 billion by 2035. Furthermore, the new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) should reflect concrete and achievable targets and make a real contribution to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement.
As part of Climate Week, the COP29 presiding country will also hold a high-level event dedicated to the special needs of Africa. The meeting, scheduled for September 6, will be organized in line with COP29’s commitment to highlighting the challenges faced by African countries.
