Azerbaijan National NGO Forum has launched the “COP29 NGO Coalition”, an initiative aimed at fostering global cooperation among NGOs for the upcoming COP29 conference.
The coalition, which already includes 108 foreign NGOs from 30 countries, including Nigeria, marks a significant step in collaboration between local and international NGOs on such a large scale in Azerbaijan.
In preparation for COP29, the “COP29 NGO Coalition” held a hybrid meeting via Zoom on Thursday, 18 July 2024 to discuss ideas and explore cooperation opportunities in detail.
Ramil Iskandarli, Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijan National NGO Forum, noted the enthusiasm of foreign NGOs and the substantial involvement of the forum members in establishing this cooperation.
“We are all trying to contribute to this process as much as possible,” he said.
Iskandarli explained that there are three groups of organizations with observer status at the Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC): the United Nations System and its Specialized Agencies, Intergovernmental Organizations and NGOs.
“Currently, 3,631 NGOs have observer status at the UNFCCC, and nearly 90% are united in nine groups, including environmental groups, business and industry, women and gender, research and academic institutions, agriculture and livestock, trade unions, youth and children’s groups, local governments and municipal authorities, and indigenous populations,” she said.
The Azerbaijan National NGO Forum aims to establish close cooperation with these nine groups and their informal groups.
“Thirty-six NGOs in the COP29 NGO Coalition are constituency members, and NGOs from five of the nine constituencies are included in the Coalition,” Iskandarli noted.
He stressed that this collaboration ensures inclusiveness, with 68 foreign NGOs from developing countries participating in the Coalition.
Iskandarli also discussed the NGO grant competition held by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and the State Agency for Support of Non-Governmental Organizations.
The competition, entitled “International Initiatives Related to COP29”, prioritizes partnerships with foreign organizations from developing countries, particularly Least Developed States and Small Island Developing States.
He praised Azerbaijan’s inclusive approach, saying: “Azerbaijan not only talks, but also offers financial assistance to states in this category within its capacity.”
Iskandarli also mentioned Azerbaijan’s staunch defense of the interests of developing countries during its chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement, which laid the groundwork for these efforts.
The Azerbaijan National NGO Forum plans to prepare an appeal to the COP29 Presidency to organize a meeting of constituency representatives with the Forum during the “Pre-COP29” event in October in Baku.
“As representatives of civil society in the host country, we also want to hear their voices. We hope that our call will not go unanswered and will yield results,” Iskandarli concluded.
By Dare Akogun
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