Baku - place where climate decisions made, Belem - where they are implemented - OPINION

The 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), held in Baku, is the venue for decision-making, and COP30, currently underway in Belem, Brazil, is the place where these decisions are put into practice, Gulshan Akhundova, a member of the COP29 Organizing Committee and Chair of the "Women, Development, Future" Public Union, told Report.

According to Gulshan Akhundova, after the decision to hold COP29 in Baku was made, many international observers and experts viewed the event as a transitional stage: "In their view, COP29 was supposed to be a preparatory stage for COP30, where key decisions would be made in Brazil. However, these predictions have not come to pass. On the contrary, the decisions made at COP29, particularly the operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund and the creation of new financial structures, have become a turning point in global climate diplomacy."

The expert noted that COP29 has become an important political platform for restoring trust between developed and developing countries: "Azerbaijan acted as a host and facilitator at this conference, building new bridges of climate diplomacy along North-South and West-East directions. One of the key results of COP29 was the launch of the Loss and Damage Fund."

The committee member praised Baku as a decision-making venue and Belem as a venue for their implementation: "These two conferences complement each other, and the 'Baku-Belem line' in the global climate process is already becoming a symbol of a new stage in climate diplomacy."