Mukhtar Babayev Highlights Baku Finance Goal and Climate Commitments at COP30 Opening in Belém

Baku, The Gulf Observer: Mukhtar Babayev, Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Climate Issues and President of COP29, addressed the opening ceremony of COP30 in Belém, Brazil, where he reflected on the achievements of COP29, the Baku-to-Belém Roadmap, and the significance of the newly adopted global financial commitments for climate action.

In his remarks, Babayev extended deep appreciation to all parties that contributed to the success of COP29, including President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, whose “leadership and ambition to bring COP to the Caucasus and advance regional cooperation” he said, had paved the way for “the benefits of green energy and even the green shoots of peace.”

He also expressed gratitude to the COP29 negotiating team, the Secretariat, the Troika partners from the UAE and Brazil, and the people of Azerbaijan, commending their collective role in fostering multilateral cooperation.

Babayev underscored the urgency of collective climate action, citing the environmental challenges facing the region — from the shrinking Caspian Sea to melting glaciers and advancing desertification — and stressed that Azerbaijan’s presidency had acted as an “honest broker” committed to the highest possible ambition and to placing vulnerable communities at the center of climate policy.

Highlighting COP29’s landmark achievement, he said, “We secured the historic Baku Finance Goal — the UN’s largest-ever pledge — which will guide how we support the Global South during the next decade.” He emphasized that the agreement represented a “make-or-break moment” for the Paris Agreement, and that its adoption had helped preserve the credibility of the multilateral climate process.

Babayev called on developed countries to honor their commitments, noting that “vulnerable communities accepted the limits of support they could expect; now donors must deliver in full.” He outlined three key milestones — doubling adaptation finance by the end of 2025, tripling UN climate funds by 2030, and achieving the collective target of $300 billion by 2035 — urging donors to present concrete plans for fulfilling these obligations.

He affirmed that Azerbaijan would continue to champion the Baku Finance Goal on the global agenda, emphasizing that “by fulfilling past promises, we restore faith in the system and prove that building more agreements is not in vain.”

Recalling the Baku-to-Belém Roadmap, Babayev said it now stands as a central reference for climate cooperation, demonstrating that achieving $1.3 trillion in climate finance is possible with sufficient political will.

“As we transition from the UAE Consensus to the implementation phase of the Paris Agreement, this is no longer a decade for debate, but a decade for delivery,” Babayev declared, officially marking the opening of what he described as “the first full COP of implementation.”

Concluding his address, he reaffirmed Azerbaijan’s ongoing commitment to global climate action, stating:

“Azerbaijan is still with you. Together, let us support Brazil, fulfil our promises, and deliver this COP of implementation — in solidarity for a green world.”