COP29 Coverage: Baku meet ends with India standing up for Global South

NCQG adopted despite objections from developing countries
COP29 Coverage: Baku meet ends with India standing up for Global South
Photo: Joel Michael / CSE

India makes history with a strong intervention objecting to the gaveling of the NCQG decision, without having the opportunity to make their statement prior to it as requested. Slams Presidency and lack of trust in process.

NCQG adopted at the closing plenary of COP29 in Baku.

Closing plenary starting soon but no new texts uploaded officially.

The agenda item on the Global Goal on Adaptation has not been considered for adoption in Part 1 of the Closing Plenary.

The agenda items related to the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, Adaptation Fund, Doubling of Adaptation Finance, National Adaptation Plans have been adopted at the part 1 of the Closing Plenary. These were mostly procedural decisions.

Article 6.2 adopted

Article 6.4 adopted

COP29 Presidency consulting delegations on new text with a rumoured deal in sight. Yet to be seen if it will be accepted.

NCQG, UAE Dialogue on Global Stocktake and Article 6 not included in Part 1 of the closing plenary of COP29

We have consistently communicated these positions for three years, yet they remain unaddressed in the current text: AGN

Additional language about “grants, non-debt, and concessional instruments” must be included, and any attempt to expand IFI mandates beyond their current scope must be removed: AGN

The MDB contribution calculations need to focus specifically on climate finance rather than counting all outflows: AGN

Several technical issues must be addressed for any agreement to work: AGN

At this 11th hour of the COP — with an extra day, we must have inclusive approaches so that no Parties are left behind: African Group of Negotiators

“G 77 countries have put US$500 billion annually as the bare minimum till 2030; with a commitment to discuss it further in the Brazil COP next year. Unless that amount is agreed by the developed countries, the talks may collapse.” - Senior negotiation tracker in Baku.

Agreement may be possible late night on November 23, or early morning November 24, only if the developed countries agree to US$ 500 billion annual climate finance till 2030: Experts

Closing plenary starts in Baku.

US negotiator John Podesta booed and heckled at summit venue.

First part of the Closing Plenary pushed by an hour to 8pm Baku time.

“We are not prepared to accept things that cross our red lines” — Ali Mohamed, Chair of the African Group of Negotiators

We have presently removed ourselves from the stalled NCQG discussions, which were not offering a progressive way forward: Shuster

We want nothing more than to continue to engage, but the process must be INCLUSIVE. If this cannot be the case, it becomes very difficult for us to continue our involvement here at COP29: Shuster

We need to be shown the regard which our dire circumstances necessitate: Cedric Shuster, AOSIS Chair

“Developed countries have not engaged on the counter proposal by developing countries of $500 billion by 2030,” Panama negotiator tells CSE-DTE Team in Baku.

LDC and SIDS Parties walk out of consultation at Baku.

G77 Bloc raises the demand for NCQG to $500 billion per year from developed countries under Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement. The demand is supported by India

African Group says that the $300 billion figure does not reflect needs and priorities of developing countries

LDC Bloc states it cannot engage on the new NCQG text

A new version of the NCQG text extends the $250 billion  figure to $300 billion, with the topline ask of $1.3 trillion from “all actors” remaining unchanged.

Closing Plenary (Part 1) of COP, CMP, CMA at 7 pm today: UNFCCC

The NCQG text is highly disappointing and full of unjustified points without clarity. The LDC has rejected it: Bangladesh negotiator at Baku tells DTE.

For Article 6.4, the draft requests the Supervisory Body (SB) — the UN body tasked with overseeing the mechanism — to ensure regulatory stability by avoiding frequent substantive revisions to its adopted standards, tools and procedures while ensuring ongoing continuous improvements to reflect the best available science. This reflects the views of the US, which wanted to avoid making substantive changes, and a few other countries keen on ensuring that the SB revises its rules based on the best available science. “The environmental integrity will hinge on the SB's further guidance,” Johnstone said.

Draft decisions for Articles 6.2 and 6.4 uploaded on the UNFCCC website. Many concerns from the previous text remain. For example, parties are only “requested” not to count mitigation outcomes as part of their NDCs if the expert review team flags inconsistencies that impact the counting of emission reductions. “Article 6.2 still leaves a lot of latitude for potential misuse and must be ratcheted up over time to ensure environmental integrity,” Injy Johnstone, Research Fellow in Net-Zero Aligned Offsetting at the University of Oxford told DTE.

US is arguing against Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement and their obligation to provide finance. Focus is on the mobilisation component under Article 9.3. Push back is expected on this: CSE-DTE Team in Baku

‘We are not fooled’, says civil society; supports G77+China, in response to latest NCQG draft text.

Overnight, civil society delivered a letter to the G77 and China bloc saying no deal is better than a bad deal.

Brazil is asking for $300 billion annually through 2030 from developed to developing countries to mobilise $1.3 trillion

About Article 6, we still don't have a text that is satisfactory. We have had debates for nine years: Marina Silva

Marina Silva, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change of Brazil: The number comes on the last day. Finance is the most important topic and the numbers are presented on the last day. COP29 is a finance COP and COP30 is a cop of ambitious NDC to prevent overshooting of 1.5C

At a press conference, Brazil’s Secretary for Climate Change, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change. Ana Toni said the NCQG text lacks clarity. "We need to understand these numbers: What is the contribution of developed countries to developing countries? What resources will be mobilised from 2025 onwards?” she said. This was in response to paragraph 8 of the presidency text: We set a goal in an ”extension of the goal referred to in paragraph 53 of decision 1/CP.21, with developed country Parties taking the lead, to USD 250 billion per year by 2035 for developing country Parties for climate action”.

The closing plenaries of the COP, CMP and CMA will be convened Saturday, 23 November 2024: Statement

The COP29 Presidency is undertaking broad and inclusive consultations over the course of the night: Statement

COP29 Baku talks extended to November 23

Rumours emerging that developing countries may reject the NCQG text: CSE-DTE Team in Baku.

“The latest draft of the global climate finance target is completely unacceptable and a fundamental violation of the rights of vulnerable groups, particularly with its weak language on children and the zero mention of youth,” - Statement by YOUNGO, official youth constituency of the UNFCCC 

“The new $250 billion target by 2035 is just an inflation-adjusted version of the old $100 billion goal, not a real increase or transformation. Moreover, since 2013, most climate finance (78% annual average) has come from public sources; no clear reason why private finance will suddenly contribute more after a decade. This casts doubt on achieving the needed scale of $1.3 trillion annually,” - Avantika Goswami, Programme Manager (Climate Change), Centre for Science and Environment.

“COP29 Presidency is pushing a fair and ambitious NCQG that takes the needs of developing countries. We will continue to work with Parties to make final adjustments and make sure that this COP has the most ambitious outcome. The Presidency text is still a draft and it will be negotiated further,” Yalchin Rafiyev, Lead Negotiator for COP29 Azerbaijan, tells reporters.

COP29 presidency to hold a plenary event between 6 and 8 pm Baku time: UNFCCC official to DTE.

In the new text on the Global Goal on Adaptation put forth by the COP29 presidency, most of the language around ‘means of implementation’ (including finance) has been removed except a reference to ‘enablers of implementation’ and another reference to ‘means of implementation’ in the paragraph on the review on the progress of work in indicators under GGA: CSE-DTE Team in Baku.

Text on UAE dialogue on GST outcomes released. The draft says the mandate of the dialogue will facilitate consideration of *collective progress* in implementing the outcomes of the first global stocktake, focusing on the *provision of finance* as well as on capacity building and technology development and transfer (LDCs’ position). It will also consider opportunities for enhancing the provision of finance and other means of implementation and opportunities for enhancing action on mitigation, adaptation, responding to loss and damage and promoting international cooperation.

Annalena Baerbock, German Minister of Foreign Affairs, stresses that big new emitters that can afford to pay, need to contribute. 

AOSIS to hold a press conference on the new draft NCQG text, party delegation head tells DTE.

The text asks for “all actors to work together” to help scale up $1.3 trillion for developing countries, rather than the obligation of developed countries to do so. There is no mention of additionality, sub-goals of grants or grant-equivalent finance, and a clear revision timeline for the goal: CSE-DTE Team in Baku.

It widely expected that developing countries will reject the numbers — despite $1.3 trillion being added, the ‘provision’ component from developed country governments of only $250 billion is not likely to be acceptable to the G77 and China bloc: CSE-DTE Team in Baku.

New iteration of the NCQG text presented around 3pm Baku time on November 22 by the COP29 Presidency with a call for “all actors to work together to enable the scaling up of financing to developing country Parties for climate action from all public and private sources to at least US$1.3 trillion per year by 2035” and to “set a goal in extension of the goal referred to in paragraph 53 of decision 1/CP.21, with developed country Parties taking the lead, to US$250 billion per year by 2035 for developing country Parties for climate action”. Parties will now provide reactions to this text and negotiate further. The demand from the G77 and China bloc has been united around $600 billion, compared to the $250 billion in this new text.

African Group of Negotiators releases statement as talks enter last phase in Baku. Consensus in G77 bloc that all developing countries want $600 billion in public finance out of the $1.3 trillion.

The EU had said at a press briefing (on the 19th) that they cannot talk about the quantum till they find an agreement on the structure.

Welcome to the coverage of the final day of the UNFCCC COP29

No polarisation on whether quantum or structure should be a priority for NCQG, members of a delegation tell Down To Earth on condition of anonymity.

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