During COP29, the COP Presidencies Troika which includes the United Arab Emirates (COP28), Azerbaijan (COP29), and Brazil (COP30), met to assess the ‘Roadmap to Mission 1.5°C’. The three presidents discussed the progress made in implementing the outcome of the global stocktake and the remaining gaps in developing and implementing ambitious climate policies in the upcoming rounds of nationally determined contributions (NDC).
The meeting reinforced the cohesion among the COP presidencies and set clear priorities and strategic actions for 2025, building on the outcomes and outputs of COP28, implementing the results of COP29, and paving the way for COP30.
The Troika reflects the commitment of the three presidencies of COP28, COP29, and COP30, to submit their NDC in line with the 1.5-degree Celsius goal and guided by the provisions of the historic UAE Agreement by early 2025.
New Collective Quantified Goal draft
At COP29, the co-chairs of the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) contact group published the first iteration of a draft decision text for the COP29 presidency’s top negotiating priority – a new climate finance goal. The COP29 presidency had encouraged the co-chairs to produce this draft as early as possible to guide conversations around potential landing zones and help to identify concerns.
Parties also welcomed the decision to transition to a draft text and, for the first time in the three-year technical process, described it as a workable basis for discussion.
Commenting on the publication, COP29 president Mukhtar Babayev stated: “This is a significant step but there are still many options to be resolved. We now want to hear everyone’s views and we will create spaces for them to provide their input throughout COP29. But the parties must remember that the clock is ticking and we only have 10 days left.”
Support for Small Island Developing States
In attendance at COP29 for the second day in a row, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, H.E. Ilham Aliyev, addressed delegates at the Leaders’ Summit of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) on Climate Change. The summit provided a platform for leaders to come together and explore strategies to strengthen the resilience of SIDS against the impacts of climate change and enhance their access to climate finance, a priority of the COP29 presidency.
In his address, President Aliyev emphasized that “the voices of SIDS must be heard on the global stage”. He called for developed countries “to provide tangible financial and technical support to small island states so that they can protect their countries from climate change” and that the importance of helping these states is “at the center of Azerbaijan’s efforts at COP29”.
During the summit, parties also adopted the Baku Declaration on Amplifying SIDS’ Voice at COP29 for a Resilient and Sustainable Future. The declaration acknowledges the scale and magnitude of climate change, its disproportionate effects on vulnerable groups, and the need for urgent action. It also reaffirms that SIDS’ special circumstances make them particularly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change.
Read | COP29: Multilateral development banks’ climate financing to reach $120 billion by 2030
Formalizing the role of health in the climate agenda
The day also placed a strong emphasis on health, with a high-level meeting featuring the COP29 presidency, the WHO, Spain’s secretary of state for health, Javier Padilla Bernáldez, and representatives of the presidencies of COP26 Glasgow, COP27 Sharm el-Sheikh, COP28 Dubai and COP30 Belem.
The meeting included a discussion on how to formalize the role of health in the climate agenda, leverage the collective experiences of former COP presidencies, and ensure alignment and continuity across all health-focused initiatives. It also sought to establish health as a core feature of future COP conferences.
This follows the agreement announced on the previous day between the WHO and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) regarding the operationalization of the Health Impact Investment Platform (HIIP).
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