Global leaders gather in Baku to advance climate negotiations before COP29

Participants of the Pre-COP, which include global climate leaders, government officials, constituencies, and delegates, pose for a family picture at the opening of gathering in Baku, Azerbaijan on Oct. 10, 2024. (COP29 photo)
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Updated 03 November 2024
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Global leaders gather in Baku to advance climate negotiations before COP29

  • Talks focus on finance and support for vulnerable communities
  • Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev urges agreement on key issues

The COP29 Presidency is hosting global climate leaders, government officials, constituencies, and delegates at Pre-COP in Baku, Azerbaijan, to discuss key environmental issues facing the planet.

The 3-day Pre-COP meeting, which started Oct. 10, provides an important platform for parties to advance climate negotiations ahead of the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, set to take place in November.

Pre-COP discussions are focusing on making progress on key priorities before COP29, including climate finance, the New Collective Quantified Goal, mitigation, adaptation, and supporting vulnerable communities, according to a press release issued by the organizers.

In an address delivered on his behalf by COP29 president-designate Mukhtar Babayev, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan emphasized the importance of agreeing an NCQG at COP29 that “meets the needs of the developing, least developed and small island developing states” and represents a “substantial increase” over the prior goal.

Aliyev said reaching this goal would require the collaboration of the international community. “Neither Azerbaijan in its capacity of the COP29 Presidency, nor any other state, can take decisions on behalf of others.

“Our role is to provide the platform for facilitating negotiations, which we believe we have been fulfilling impartially,” he said.

In his own address at the opening ceremony, Babayev recognized the progress made, while also calling for participants to act with urgency and use the Pre-COP meeting to build the foundation for a successful outcome at COP29.

“We are building bridges and momentum, but we need much more,” said Babayev. “We make progress when we come together, put differences aside, and engage in open and honest dialogue.”

Setting out clear goals for each priority, he identified the need to “take seriously the responsibility for identifying a number over a timeframe and come forward with solutions.

“Qualitative elements of the goal such as transparency and accessibility are also essential to ensuring that the goal is both fair and ambitious.”

Babayev also outlined goals for each of the other top negotiating priorities, including concluding work on Article 6 as a much-needed priority “crucial for directing financial and technical resources.”

The aim was to turn pledges into signed contributor agreements to the fund for responding to loss and damage, and attracting “significantly greater contributions” to all funds.

This includes the Green Climate Fund and the Adaptation Fund, and responding to the call of the UAE Consensus to transition away from fossil fuels in a just and orderly manner.

Pre-COP is the latest milestone in Azerbaijan’s preparations for COP29, which will be a key moment in the global effort to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and build resilience to climate impacts.

In the lead up to Pre-COP, the COP29 Presidency also convened an informal Heads of Delegation meeting on Oct. 8 in Baku, followed by the formal High-Level Ministerial Dialogue on the NCQG on Oct. 9.

Another Heads of Delegation meeting is scheduled for Oct. 12.

“COP29 will be a defining test for both the Paris Agreement and for multilateralism,” stated Babayev.

“The world is watching, and history will judge us on the outcomes we achieve. Success or failure at COP29 will be collective and each of us has a role to play. We must all offer the best of ourselves.”
 


KSrelief continues medical outreach in Kyrgyzstan, Yemen

Updated 14 November 2024
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KSrelief continues medical outreach in Kyrgyzstan, Yemen

RIYADH: Medical outreach initiatives by Saudi aid agency KSrelief in Kyrgyzstan and Yemen are continuing, Saudi Press Agency has reported.

In Bishkek, a week-long cardiac surgery and catheterization campaign is ongoing, with volunteer specialists performing three open-heart operations and 28 catheterizations. The initiative in Kyrgyzstan continues until Nov. 16.

In Aden, Yemen, KSrelief specialists carried out emergency medicine training for volunteers. Some 134 people received cardiopulmonary resuscitation training, while a further 10 were given advanced cardiovascular life support training.

Meanwhile, Dr Abdullah Al-Moallem, the aid agency’s health and environmental aid department director, hosted a World Health Organization delegation in Riyadh.

As part of proceedings, he discussed with Hans Kluge, WHO’s regional director for Europe, further possibilities for expanding their partnership to benefit patients in Europe.


KSrelief distributes aid to needy in Gaza, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon

Updated 14 November 2024
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KSrelief distributes aid to needy in Gaza, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon

  • The aid is part of the relief and humanitarian projects implemented by Saudi Arabia through KSrelief to alleviate people’s suffering

RIYADH: Saudi aid agency KSrelief has distributed more much-needed aid to people in Lebanon, Yemen, Gaza and Syria, reported Saudi Press Agency.

In the Syrian city of Idlib, food and hygiene kits were delivered to 914 families, while 500 food parcels given out in Gaza benefited 3,500 people.

In the northern city of Tripoli, Lebanon, 650 shopping vouchers were given to orphans and people with special needs from the Syrian refugee and host communities as part of the third phase of the 2024 Winter Clothes Distribution Project.

And in Yemen’s Hadhramaut Governorate, 800 winter kits were distributed, benefiting 4,800 people.


Saudi FM in Paris for AlUla talks with French counterpart

Updated 14 November 2024
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Saudi FM in Paris for AlUla talks with French counterpart

DUBAI: Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs, arrived in Paris on Thursday to attend the second meeting of the Saudi-French Committee for the Development of the AlUla Project. 
During his visit, he will also meet with French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, for a working lunch.


Mawhiba to host ‘Beyond Creative Minds’ conference this month

Updated 14 November 2024
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Mawhiba to host ‘Beyond Creative Minds’ conference this month

  • The organization, which nurtures the talents of gifted students, says event is a ‘global platform for talented and creative youth to collaborate in building a prosperous future’
  • It is expected to attract experts and researchers in the fields of science, technology and innovation from more than 50 countries

RIYADH: Mawhiba, an organization that works to nurture the talents of gifted students in scientific fields, will hold its third international conference this month with the theme “Beyond Creative Minds.”

Its Global Conference for Giftedness and Creativity will take place from Nov. 24 to 26 at King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center in Riyadh. Khalid Al-Sharif, the organization’s acting secretary-general, described the event as a “global platform for talented and creative youth to collaborate in building a prosperous future through the exchange of ideas and expertise.”

He told the Saudi Press Agency: “The event reflects the Kingdom’s commitment to supporting and empowering talent and promoting a culture of innovation to address future global challenges.”

The conference is expected to attract experts and researchers in the fields of science, technology and innovation from more than 50 countries, many of whom will give keynote speeches, take part in panel discussions and lead workshops.

Al-Sharif said the event will include a “‘creathon’ aimed at finding creative solutions to contemporary challenges. Attendees will also have access to exhibitions and various cultural visits scheduled alongside the conference.”

He added that Mawhiba, more formally known as the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, will continue to develop talent, support creativity and provide resources to nurture the potential of gifted individuals. He thanked Minister of Education Yousef Al-Benyan for the substantial support he provides for the biennial conference.


Saudi and French ministers discuss cultural cooperation

Updated 14 November 2024
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Saudi and French ministers discuss cultural cooperation

  • Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan and Rachida Dati discussed cultural exchanges and cooperation relating to museums, libraries, theater, the arts, cuisine, heritage and film production

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s minister of culture, Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, and his French counterpart, Rachida Dati, held talks in Paris on Wednesday on cultural cooperation.

They discussed cultural exchanges between their countries and cooperation relating to museums, libraries, theater, the arts, cuisine, heritage and film production.

Riyadh and Paris are looking to strengthen partnerships, nurture talent through training programs for workers in cultural sectors, and exchange expertise, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The Kingdom’s assistant culture minister, Rakan Al-Touq, also took part in the meeting.