Civil Society Discussed COP29 Results

Civil Society Discussed COP29 Results

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties - COP29 - held in November in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, took place without Armenia's participation.

Several countries and leaders did not participate in COP29 for various reasons. The next COP will be held in 2025 in Brazil.

On December 4, 2024, the conference titled “The Results of COP29 and the Main Directions of Armenia’s Climate Policy” took place. It was organized by “EcoLur” Informational NGO within the framework of “Empowering Communities in Armenia through Participation and Awareness in Climate Policy Implementation” project in cooperation with the Heinrich Böll Foundation’s South Caucasus Regional Office in Yerevan.

More than thirty representatives from civil, state, international organizations, and communities participated in the discussion.

“Our goal, together with our partners, is to contribute to the implementation of programs rooted in green and democratic principles, and one such program is this one. We value this meeting, which takes place POSTCOP, to understand the impact of this COP, what opinions exist, and what conclusions can be drawn for future COPs,” Mkrtich Dallakyan, Program Coordinator at the Heinrich Böll Foundation’s South Caucasus Regional Office in Yerevan, outlined.

The President of “EcoLur” NGO, Inga Zarafyan, and Deputy President Victoria Burnazyan presented the results of COP29 and the main directions of Armenia’s climate policy.

The main decision of the conference was the decision on a New Collective Quantified Goal for Climate Financing, which sets annual financing for developing countries at $300 billion until 2035, replacing the previous $100 billion.

“The key decision of COP29, ‘On the New Collective Quantified Goal for Climate Financing’, does not solve the issues of climate resilience. The goal of limiting the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees set by the Paris Agreement remained unchanged in COP29, but restrictions aimed at reducing fossil fuels were not defined. According to experts, the approved annual $300 billion in financing will cover 30% of the demand. The annual $100 billion financing was not properly implemented,” Inga Zarafyan noted.

An agreement on carbon markets was adopted at COP29. “Projects cannot be implemented without clear notification and consent of indigenous peoples. Here, the question arises: How can Azerbaijan meet this requirement against the backdrop of the forced displacement of the indigenous Armenian population of Artsakh?” Inga Zarafyan noted.

A decision was also made at COP29 to ensure the full operation of the Loss and Damage Fund.

Inga Zarafyan also referred to “Baku Declaration on Water for Climate Action”, jointly prepared by UNEP and the Azerbaijani administration, which around 50 countries have expressed an intention to join.

“The question arises as to which assessment mechanism will be used for managing and cooperating on transboundary waters, who will oversee these actions, and which body will control them. Will Armenia join this declaration, and how will it approach these provisions in its climate policy?” Inga Zarafyan asked.

“This document contains political overtones, as the main requirements regarding dialogue and cooperation between neighboring countries imply political solutions. However, some countries lack diplomatic relations, peace treaties, and are involved in ongoing military conflicts. Against this background, it is impossible to find solutions for managing transboundary water resources,” Inga Zarafyan said.

Diana Harutyunyan, Senior Advisor for Climate Change Programs at UNDP, noted that such a declaration is not an obligation to be included or not in future commitments. However, some decisions are mandatory, whether or not a country participates, otherwise, it must withdraw from the list of parties to the convention.

Referring to the negative reaction from the international community, Diana Harutyunyan emphasized: “No host country has received such negative feedback during and after a COP as Azerbaijan did. COP should not be held in oil-producing countries because it influences decisions.”

Masís Sargsyan, a representative of “Natural Economy” Climate and Civil Foundation, believes that Armenia should have had a participant at COP29 and responded to the decisions adopted in Baku.

Natalya Martirosyan, a representative of Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Armenian Committee, noted that as long as a willingness for consensus among countries is not visible, it is very difficult to implement specific actions in various fields.

Shirak Buniatyan, Coordinator of Jermuk Alternative Development Working Group, noted the need to develop a policy aimed at increasing the number of reservoirs.

Community representatives expressed their desire to propose projects that could be implemented under the climate umbrella. For example, cleaning transboundary waters. It was mentioned that communities and civil society have potential and can participate to ensure the adoption of correct decisions at the state level.

This article was prepared within the framework of “Empowering Communities in Armenia through Participation and Awareness in Climate Policy Implementation” project, implemented in cooperation with the Heinrich Böll Foundation’s South Caucasus Regional Office in Yerevan.

December 10, 2024 at 18:12