Climate advocates including former UN secretary general Ban Ki Moon today submitted an open letter to the UN calling for a reform of the Cop climate change summit as it has failed to deliver change at the speed and scale required.
Signatories also include former executive secretary of the UN climate body the UNFCCC Christiana Figueres, and former president of Ireland Mary Robinson. They suggested excluding countries that do not support the "phase-out/transition away" from fossil fuel energy.
The president of Cop 29 host country Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev drew criticism after stating earlier this week that oil and gas is a "gift of god".
Several media organisations reported earlier today that the letter mentioned the Cop system was not "fit for purpose". The phrase is not included the latest version. "It has become clear that constructive, supportive ideas developed some time ago on the international climate negotiations have been misinterpreted in today's context," Figueres said. She added that the Cop process was an essential and irreplaceable vehicle for supporting the change that is urgently needed.
Other suggestions from the signatories include streamlining Cop summits for speed and scale. "We need a shift from negotiation to implementation, enabling the Cop to deliver on agreed commitments and ensure the urgent energy transition and phase-out of fossil energy," stated the letter, whose signatories also
The Cop process should also be strengthened with mechanisms to enforce accountability, such as enhanced reporting and benchmarking, independent scientific oversight and transparent tracking of pledges and action.
The letter also pointed out that a record number of 2,456 fossil fuel lobbyists were allowed to attend Cop 28, almost four times more than Cop 27. "The fact that there were far more fossil fuel lobbyists than official representatives from scientific institutions, indigenous communities and vulnerable nations reflects a systemic imbalance in Cop representation."
Other concerns include the necessity for more robust tracking of climate financing as well as climate Cops not sufficiently integrating latest scientific evidence. There is no permanent scientific advisory body that is a formal part of the Cop structure.
This year's Cop has been plagued by diplomatic issues and poorer attendance by heads of state, including from G7 countries, compared with previous years.
Papua New Guinea prime minister James Marape pulled out of Cop 29 just before the summit and has sent a streamlined delegation this year, complaining about the lack of global commitment, especially from "large industrial countries" to rainforest conservation.
French energy minister Agnes Pannier-Rauncher on 13 November cancelled her planned visit to the summit, because of what she called host Azerbaijan's "unacceptable remarks" on France and Europe. French negotiating teams will work as usual at the conference, but this week marked the first time that the French president was not represented in high-level meetings since the Cop 21 conference in Paris in 2015.
Argentina also on 13 November withdrew its delegation from the summit, with the country's foreign affairs ministry confirming that the delegation had been told to leave the event. No reason was given for this, but it was in line with the general policies of president Javier Milei, who has expressed skepticism about climate change.
Cop 29 lead negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev on 15 November acknowledged that "the multilateral process is under pressure" and faces "challenges and external complexities" but said the presidency considers Cop 29 a "litmus test for the global climate architecture". "Parties have to come together," he said.
