Excellencies, delegates, dear friends,

Thank you for joining us to participate in this consultation on the COP29 Presidency’s plan as we set out the pathways for how we will deliver our vision and strategy.

I am pleased to be joined by Harry and Nabeel, the Chairs of the subsidiary bodies.

We are here to support the Subsidiary Body Chairs, listen to and work with all to find every opportunity to enhance ambition and enable action.

Before moving to the main part of my speech, I would like to thank all parties, in particular the United Kingdom, Egypt and UAE - COP26, COP27, and COP28 Presidencies, as well as UNFCCC Secretariat for their valuable support extended to our team over these months.

For COP 29 to be successful it will require huge political effort from all of us, building on the momentum and positive spirit of COP 28, and the UAE Consensus.

I reaffirm the COP 29 Presidency commitment to deliver COP 29 in an inclusive, transparent, impartial, and Party-driven manner that is guided by the principles, objectives, and goals of the Convention and the Paris Agreement.

Since the decision in Dubai on hosting COP 29 by Azerbaijan, we have undertaken extensive consultations with many Parties and groups.

Over the course of last week during the SB sessions, we have met with all negotiating groups to hear their views and expectations for COP 29.

We are also committed to closely working with non-party stakeholders. To this end, we have been engaging, among others, with the observer constituencies here in Bonn.

The Government of Azerbaijan welcomes the opportunity to lead the process at this critical juncture.

I recently joined COP29 President-Designate on a delegation to Caribbean Island states to consult with communities, understand their needs, and see first-hand what it means to have existence of small island developing states threatened by climate change.
It is truly humbling to visit a place where humanity’s success or failure will be judged so clearly.

But we know that throughout the world there are billions more counting on us to deliver.

Considering both the state of the science and the agenda for this year, I believe that COP29 will be a litmus test for the Paris Agreement and global climate action.

The challenge before us is whether we can make the process work for everyone, and whether we can deliver at the speed and scale needed.

Some of the critical issues for COP29 are on the subsidiary bodies’ agendas at this session. We now need to make progress on all of the pillars of the Paris Agreement and the Presidency is ready to engage in dialogue on how we can take forward the outcomes of the Global Stocktake.

Colleagues, during the Petersberg Climate Dialogue we set out the vision for COP29 – to enhance ambition and enable action – and now we want to provide more details on how we move from a plan to pathways as we deliver this vision.

To summarize the two pillars of the plan and how they interrelate: on the one hand we are working to support the parties raise their ambition through their NDCs, NAPs, and BTRs.

As signals of ambition, these plans and reports can build trust as well as guide investment.

And on the other hand, we are working to enable action by agreeing a fair and ambitious new climate finance goal, finalizing Article 6, strengthening global financial institutions, and ensuring the private sector commits to climate action.

As signals of commitment to enable action, they can allow for higher ambition and guarantee that everyone is confident that they can deliver at the scale we need.

We need early action across all pathways to build solidarity and momentum, and ensure that that these two pillars are mutually reinforcing.

While we must always be considered and careful, we must also do everything we can to avoid delay and meet the urgency of the moment with determination and action.

This session has been an important moment for the Ad Hoc Work Programme to make progress on a way to substantive framework for a draft negotiating text on the NCQG.

Having this said, I would like to express our appreciation, full trust and confidence to the work of Fiona and Zaheer, the co-chairs of the Programme.

The work of the Ad Hoc Work Program is vital as we aim to agree a fair and ambitious NCQG, taking into account the needs and priorities of the developing country parties. Our efforts on climate finance should represent progression beyond previous efforts, delivering multiples, adequate to scale and urgency of the problem.

It is perfectly normal to see different views at this stage and we are committed to intensifying our engagements to find consensus through constructive dialogue.

We are grateful for how the parties have approached the task with a clear spirit of urgency and solidarity, as we try to solve one of the defining challenges of the climate crisis.

And we are calling on everyone to bridge the gaps, bring together options into potential solutions and narrow down the choices as much as possible here in Bonn.

The technical work is an essential foundation, but we understand that the politically complex issues will not be solved by negotiators alone, so after these sessions we want to further intensify political engagement.

On the way forward, we plan to convene a heads of delegation level retreat in July, and later in October next meetings of TED, AHWP and HLMD meetings in Azerbaijan to advance discussions on the NCQG.

Progress is also essential outside of our process. On this front, as recognized in the outcome of GST, Multilateral Development Banks and International Financial Institutions will have an important role. They have a unique capacity to mobilize low-cost financing and to catalyze higher volumes of private finance. We are also calling for reform of global financial institutions to better meet climate needs.

During these past months, my team and I have had very insightful meetings with Parties and non-party stakeholders, including heads of the relevant international organizations.

I have sensed a strong commitment of all Parties and institutions to work together to address the common objective of addressing the devastating impact of climate change.

Dear friends, the COP29 Presidency is also focused on other mandates that will be essential to enabling action. The full functioning of Article 6 will be an important step to deepening green capital markets, creating viable economic models for climate-positive action, and enabling those who need carbon markets to implement their climate plans.

We are closely following the progress of the discussion on Article 6 at the June session under the guidance of the SBSTA Chair. We encourage major stakeholders to hold dialogues with each other and appeal to all delegations to exercise flexibility and seek agreement to ensure that we leave Bonn with solid progress for a successful conclusion at COP 29.

Dear friends, progress on NCQG and Article 6 will build confidence that we can enhance ambition in this critical year as parties prepare to submit new NDCs, NAPs, and BTRs. As an incoming Presidency we also understand an important role of technology and capacity building for delivering tangible results on climate action.

The Global Stocktake agreed on collective targets and ambitions and encouraged parties to come forward with 1.5-aligned NDCs.

Azerbaijan will lead by example, and as the COP29 Presidency we are building partnerships to signal commitment and provide support to the parties.

We have worked with Troika partners to ensure the full UN system is deployed to support you, and UNDP has launched its Climate Promise 2025 initiative to provide capacity-building support.

We have organized high level dialogues with the International Energy Agency to deliberate on energy outcomes of the Global Stocktake.

The next dialogue is scheduled for later this month on the margins of London Climate Week.

We are also co-hosting a methane workshop with the IEA in Baku in September.

The Global Stocktake found that adaptation efforts are not on track to achieve our long-term goals. The COP29 Presidency acknowledges this urgency and is emphasizing the importance of adaptation in all its engagements.

Parties are also initiating an assessment of progress, challenges, gaps and needs to formulate and implement NAPs that will be concluded at COP29.

As Azerbaijan is preparing its NAP, we understand the challenges and we are aware of the constrained timelines to have them in place by 2025.

So, we are repeating the previous call for the Green Climate Fund to expedite support for NAPs.

Transparency is one of the priorities for the COP29 Presidency.

The upcoming Biennial Transparency Reports are essential for tracking progress on commitments, building trust and confidence, and assessing gaps and financial needs.

For this first round of BTRs, we need to get the process moving, we will all learn by doing, and then they can be improved in the future.

COP29 has begun a series of workshops, starting in Azerbaijan in May, to support parties build capacity to meet their obligations. Further workshops are planned in Baku and elsewhere, and we will also host online sessions to ensure the widest possible participation.

Azerbaijan is committed to leading by example and is working to submit its own BTR ahead of COP, and we invite others to join us with early submissions.

All stakeholders have a role in climate action, including the G7 and G20.

The G7 leaders’ summit in June and the G20 leaders’ summit in November will be key moments to signal commitment. We are therefore working intensively with the Italian and Brazilian respective presidencies.

On the fund responding to Loss and Damage, we need to get it up and running quickly.

The first donations to the Fund were welcome, but we understand that significantly more will be needed to protect those who stand to lose the most from the climate crisis.

And we emphasize the importance of contributions to other funds, including the Green Climate Fund, and the Adaptation Fund, and making them more accessible.

Dear Colleagues, The Presidency is also working out a series of Presidency initiatives in coordination with the UN Global Task Force established by the UN Secretary General to support COP29 Presidency. We are planning to present more information on the initiatives at the COP29 Presidency’s next event to be held on 12 June.

Together with the COP 28 Presidency, the SB Chairs, and the Secretariat, we will assess the status of progress across the different mandates and the need for further focused engagement well ahead of the Pre-COP, taking place on 10-11 October in Baku.

We will also count on the political guidance of Heads of States and Governments at the World Leaders Summit to be convened on 12 and 13 November to help shape the outcomes for success at COP 29.

In conclusion, I want to convey my thanks to everyone for your time, your openness, and your constructive spirit.

Your feedback is essential to building a programme that addresses everyone’s priorities and concerns.

Excellencies, delegates, dear friends,

COP29 will be truly a make-or-break moment. The process has delivered a lot already, but now we face the test of whether it can deliver enough for everyone. We sincerely believe that while there is a great risk in delay, there is also a great opportunity in action.

So, it is time to move forward in solidarity, to take the pathway to prosperity, and to a future we all want to share.

Thank you.