Story by Memory Chamisa
The curtain has come down on the 29th session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku Azerbaijan without consensus on climate funding commitment.
The latest negotiating drafts of the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) for Climate Finance, Mitigation Work Programme (MWP), Article 6 addressing the carbon market, and other policy frameworks which were released early this morning ended in a stalemate.
Some of the delegates believe it is an intentional effort by the Global North to push deliberations to the next meeting in Brazil next year.
“We are far from the finish line. This just shows the hypocrisy the developed countries have towards committing to the New Collective Quantified Goal of a trillion dollars up from 100 billion which they never fulfilled anyway,” one participant said.
Another noted, “The new finance text presents two extreme ends of the aisle without much in between. Crucially, the text misses a number that defines the scale of future climate finance, a prerequisite for negotiation in good faith.”
“This omission reflects the reluctance of key donor nations, including members of the European Union, to discuss specific financial commitments before achieving clarity on the funding structure and who will contribute,” another participant said.
Zimbabwe’s head of delegation, Dr Sithembiso Nyoni who is also the Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife stressed the importance of a conclusive agreement.
“We cannot accept any attempts to deflect the focus again from finance to repeated emphasis on mitigation. When the time has come to ensure that mitigation actions are supported with adequate finance in line with CBDR-RC (Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities) and equity, the narrative is being diverted. This COP started with a focus on enablement through NCQG. But as we move towards the end, we see a shifting of the focus to mitigation. I am happy with the team for standing their ground in the negotiations and ensuring that Zimbabwe’s position and Africa as a whole are presented. Even if we don’t get the funding we still will implement programmes at home that will ensure everyone is protected and capacitated as guided by the visionary leadership of President Emmerson Mnangagwa,” she said.
Although the talks are scheduled to conclude this Friday, the new document has revealed that several critical issues remain unresolved, including what qualifies as part of the annual funding, who contributes, and how much.
