Today marks the closing of Bonn Climate Change Conference SB60. As this important chapter comes to an end, CAN EECCA reflects on network’s active participation during negotiations. This engagement is especially timely as we look ahead to COP29 in Azerbaijan. In that spirit, we’d like to share the speech by Nugzar Kokhreidze, our Board Member, who spoke at the closing press conference of the Climate Action Network.
I am Nugzar, Head of the Board of CAN EECCA (Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia)
We are pleased that COP is taking place in the EECCA region, for the first time, and we see this COP as a regional event, not just one country’s representation. The EECCA region is not represented on the UNFCCC platform enough, especially when it comes to the civil society. However, it’s important to understand the realities of the Caucasus region and Azerbaijan in more detailed .
It’s clear from various reports that Azerbaijan has a significant deficit in democracy, with restrictions on human rights and freedoms. Since 2016, a law has been implemented that limits the work of NGOs, leading many representatives of civil society to either be banned or move abroad to continue their work to some extent. This is not an exclusive example in the region. This trend of labeling NGOs as foreign agents has led to the near or complete suspension of NGO activities in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Russia, and Belarus, weakening civil society in the region. Recently adopted “foreign agent” laws in Kyrgyzstan and Georgia add to this unfortunate trend. Environmental organizations, which do not align with the energy and climate policies of these countries, have been particularly targeted.
Additionally, as you may know, Azerbaijan faces numerous political issues due to the centralised governance. The delegates working in climate negotiations have weak knowledge about negotiations and climate change itself, leading to a lack of climate ambition in the country’s policies. Therefore, this knowledge could be found within representatives of civil society. The international NGOs and independent media have to pay extra attention to the colleagues from EECCA region and extend their support, because there is no climate justice without Civil Society.
Potential Problems:
- There might be issues with access, and I am here with my own example of being denied access to Poland during COP24 in Katowice, which is in the EU. NGOs and media have to prepare a couple of scenarios and be ready to support each other.
- Topics of political prisoners and human rights might not be welcomed, and according to environmental and human rights activists Azerbaijan, they won’t be able to change much over the next months. It is better to focus on the climate agenda, as the situation could worsen rather than improve after the conclusion of COP or the troika arrangement.
- The country has limited capacity for climate negotiations and diplomacy in general, as it is has 30 years of independence history and not enough horizontal knowledge exchange.
Opportunities:
- Azerbaijan, being vulnerable to climate change, has a significant interest in financial achievements within the NQCG at COP29 because it could be a recipient of funds due to limited access to drinking water and the rising seabed of the Caspian Sea from oil extraction.
- The country is unlikely to lobby for oil interests as it is reducing oil production and positioning itself as a regional leader in renewable energy.
- Azerbaijan aims to increase gas production for export while reducing gas consumption for electricity production. Thus, Azerbaijan’s interests will be aligned with gas.
In all this, we can see certain opportunities for COP29 to become financially ambitious if the right approach to cooperation with the Azerbaijani presidency is found, as they need help with knowledge and negotiation skills and are open to such cooperation.
It’s also important for the world to see at this COP that there is a diverse region like the EECCA and to show interest in cooperating to support civil society for ambitious climate goals. This could create a development hub that supports countries which are temporarily under authoritarian regimes.
Without the support of NGOs, there will be no monitoring, no ambition, and more fake climate conferences with greenwashing. Hear this message and support us and our work.
There is no climate justice without human rights.
There is no climate justice without civil society.
