The geopolitical impasse over the choice of a host country for the Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which lasted more than a year, has finally been resolved. In 2024, Azerbaijan will host the COP, one of the world’s major oil-producing countries.
A decision on the COP29 venue was supposed to be made by a group of Eastern European countries back in June 2023, but due to tense communication, it remained in limbo. Russia blocked all EU countries from nominating, and feuding neighbors Armenia and Azerbaijan vetoed each other. The other countries in the group did not take the initiative.
On December 7, Armenia and Azerbaijan issued a statement on the settlement agreement, with Armenia supporting Azerbaijan’s candidacy as a goodwill gesture, and Bulgaria officially withdrawing its bid. According to two sources in the COP28 meeting room where the decision was made, a group of Eastern European countries has chosen Baku, Azerbaijan, to host next year’s COP29 climate talks.
Azerbaijan stands out as one of the clearest examples of an oil-dependent state in the world. As of 2022, the oil and gas sector accounted for 47.8% of the country’s total GDP, with 52.7% of the budget coming from oil revenues, and oil products accounting for 92.5% of total exports. Although these indicators have undergone minor changes since 2005, the trend remains unchanged.
Simultaneously, while the oil sector contributes 47.8% of GDP and employs only 39,400 people, agriculture, which contributes 4.7% of GDP, employs 36.2% of the total population.
Azerbaijan is taking the baton from the United Arab Emirates, the seventh-largest oil-producing country globally, which has attracted over 2,500 participants from the fossil fuel lobby. We hope that the organization of the conference will allow Azerbaijan to make decisions on diversifying the country’s energy sector rather than becoming a platform for promoting the interests of oil companies.
Here is what our network members think about it:
Nugzar Kokhreidze – Head of the Board of CAN EECCA, Chairman of Research-Intellectual Club “Dialogue of Generations”
“First of all, I would like to congratulate Azerbaijan for hosting this very important Climate Negotiations Conference, which COP is. It is an opportunity for CAN EECCA to draw the world’s attention to the EECCA region, the Caucasus, and Azerbaijan itself regarding climate policy, human rights, and civil society. Azerbaijan, being one of the fossil fuel countries hosting COP, is crucial for us as CAN to advocate for ending the fossil fuel era and taking ambitious steps to achieve results in all dimensions of the negotiations such as adaptation, mitigation, just transition, etc. We hope that COP29 in Azerbaijan will shed light on the problems of the EECCA region, the state of civil society, human rights defenders, and climate activists and become a result-oriented event!”
Olga Boiko, CAN EECCA Coordinator
“We, as a climate network, are delighted that COP will be held in the EECCA region for the first time. Previously, it was hosted by Poland, which is part of the EU. Our region has not been prioritized in global climate policy, while civil society here is grappling with human rights violations, climate disasters, and military conflicts. This marks the third consecutive year that COP has been hosted by an oil-producing country. This could lead to even more representatives of the fossil fuel lobby attending the conference as they feel comfortable and welcome. We need to stop pretending that COP is a fossil fuel trade conference and start making really high official demands on the host country. We need Azerbaijan to divest from “greenwashing” fossil fuels.
Last but not least, we are concerned about the safety of climate activists attending COP29. We know that civil society in Azerbaijan is severely restricted in its activities and cannot safely advocate for socially important issues. Our members have already faced discrimination during climate negotiations, so the UNFCCC secretariat needs to pay special attention to the safety and extensive participation of civil society at COP29.”
