COP29 Azerbaijan Operating Company has today kickstarted the first national discussions towards shaping the sustainability and environmental criteria – an integral part of the COP29 Sponsorship and Partnership Strategy.

The Operating Company has launched the COP29 Sponsorship Programme this year in May. Under the National Pledge Programme, voluntary corporate sustainability targets will be extended to national sponsors as a prerequisite of COP29 Sponsorship Programme, and they will be equipped with the comprehensive skills to fulfil these obligations.

The workshop, attended by nearly fifty senior representatives from the national private sector, featured presentations on ongoing preparations for COP29, key dates and activations, and the National Pledge Criteria exclusively adapted for local businesses. According to the Bonn Agreement, the National Pledge Programme, inspired by the “Race to Zero” commitment and Azerbaijan’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), has been positioned as a key sponsorship criterion for domestic companies, covering not only the decarbonization of the industrial sectors, but also water and agriculture issues, desertification, green energy transition, as well as range of ESG topics by November 2024.

Private companies will become a part in National Pledge Programme to assess their potential in meeting climate targets, to shape their future strategies based on the knowledge and experience gained through COP29 partnerships, and to enhance their management and reporting resources towards meeting the specified sponsorship criteria.

Further to capacity-building milestone, the companies will define their strategic goals within the next 12-24 months under this programme.

The programme, initiated by the COP29 Azerbaijan Operating Company, represents a crucial initiative towards facilitating active participation of national private sector giants at the Conference, while fostering them in refining their sustainability practices in line with the 2024 Year of Solidarity for a Green World.

The interested parties at sponsorship and partnership opportunities for COP29 may reach out via sponsorship@cop29.az to express their interest.