With great enthusiasm, the International Institute for Climate Action (IICA) stepped into a new season of its interactive events, celebrating its new partnership with the EU Climate Pact – the European Commission.
IICA started its season of Events with a PRE-COP29 event organized exclusively for IICA members in cooperation with the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Croatia and invited guests His Excellency, the Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt in the Republic of Croatia, Mr. Ayman Tharwat Amin Abdel Aziz, as well as members from the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry for Sustainable Development and Green Transition, the Croatian Association of Banks, etc.) which took place in Zagreb’s Esplanade Hotel on October 9, 2024.
Since this year’s global and largest climate conference is being held in the city of Baku, in the Republic of Azerbaijan (November 11-22, 2024), where from this year the president of IICA, Mrs. Pujo Tadić, will participate as a member of the Governing Board of the Scientific Council of the Presidency COP29 , IICA jointly organized the PRE-COP29 event in partnership with the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Republic of Croatia.
As their representative of the embassy at the IICA PRE-COP29 event, the ambassador of Azerbaijan, His Excellency Anar Imanov, participated, and explained in detail to all the guests the key topic of the upcoming COP29 conference, which is related to the financing of climate action. He points out that the importance of the main topic of COP29 does not only refer to the financing of projects, but precisely to the vulnerability of communities that are most sensitive to climate impacts, which is why it is crucial to mobilize the necessary resources so that developing countries are secured in the form of achieving sustainable development. Azerbaijan also came out with 14 initiatives for COP29, which draw attention to specific areas of climate action, thus contributing to solving their problems at the global level. Among them, Mr. Imanov singled out the initiative of the Climate Action Fund (CFAF). Namely, CFAF’s goal is to attract one billion dollars of investments from fossil fuel producing countries and private companies, precisely to stimulate the development of green energy in developing countries. Azerbaijan, as a country, approaches the COP29 conference with the obligation to contribute to global climate efforts while simultaneously seeking opportunities for regional and international cooperation. At the end of the speech, Mr. Imanov highlighted the advantages and possibilities of close cooperation with Croatia on the development of green energy projects, the promotion of environmentally friendly practices and the creation of resilient communities, and most importantly, he openly invited and encouraged the cooperation of the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Azerbaijan in the form of joint work on a series of climate-related initiatives, innovative projects and successful collaborations.
On the Azerbaijan side, an equally informative online conversation was arranged with Mr. Shahin Shahyarov, COP29 Senior Negotiator (Team Lead). He emphasized that the effects of climate change have intensified in recent years, and many countries are having difficulty coping with natural disasters. One of the main goals of COP29 is to help developing countries in this area. Mr. Shahin Shahyarov, added that ways to minimize the effects of climate change were discussed at the international meetings held within the framework of COP29. These meetings provide a good opportunity to accelerate climate action and discuss the implementation of the Agreements adopted for this purpose.
From the side of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition (MZOZT), the advisor of the Minister, Mr. Matija Paljug, was present and supported the event. In addition to the main lecturers, Mrs. Višnja Grgasović, head of the Sector for Financing, Implementation and Monitoring of Greenhouse Gas Emission Reductions (MZOZT), also participated and during her lecture, particularly highlighted the priorities of the upcoming COP29 conference, in the form of the previously mentioned financing of climate action, which contributes to the real achievement of global climate goals. The aforementioned financing is set in the form of the realization of the parties’ agreement on the NCQG (in which a multi-layered approach is important), i.e. a new common quantified goal on financing, as well as the establishment of a broad and transformative approach in designing a new goal as part of the global climate financial framework in which they are present all sources of financing, i.e. domestic and international as well as public and private. Mrs. Grgasović also emphasizes that climate financing should come from a wider group of participants, which includes precisely those countries that are capable of contributing. But most of all, she places special emphasis on the faster strengthening of the global response to the climate crisis with significantly increased mitigation measures and adaptation of all countries that will require the parties to submit ambitious and nationally determined contributions (NDC). With the help of improved systems of transparency, assessment of the effects of measures and policies, and monitoring of progress, the path to achieving national and international climate goals is simplified and strengthened.
The President of IICA, Mrs. Marija Pujo Tadić, together with the other lecturers, also discussed the importance and priority topics of the COP29 conference, specifically emphasizing the need for the implementation of the measures established by the Adaptation Strategy and the encouragement of climate action.
Head of the Sector for financing, implementation and monitoring of the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (MZOZT); Višnja Grgasović, Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Republic of Croatia; His Excellency Anar Imanov, President of the International Institute for Climate Action (IICA); Marija Pujo Tadić
The IICA PRE-COP29 event provided an opportunity for an informative discussion on key climate challenges, with a large turnout of all guests present demonstrating a strong interest in such a topic, as they had the opportunity to hear firsthand the latest information, priorities, and insights on COP29 preparations, in an atmosphere that encouraged constructive dialogue and exchange of ideas, as well as, above all, quality networking.
Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Republic of Croatia; His Excellency Anar Imanov, president of the International Institute for Climate Action (IICA); Marija Pujo Tadić.
Joint photo of the organizers and all guests present at the IICA PRE-COP29 event