"Azerbaijan National NGO Forum receives numerous cooperation proposals related to COP29 from foreign NGOs. We discussed the issue with the Board of Directors and decided to initiate establishing the "COP29 NGO Coalition". Our initiative was met with great interest by foreign NGOs. So far, 108 foreign NGOs from 30 countries have already agreed to join this Coalition. Appeals continue to be sent every day, and this network may expand further. In Azerbaijan, this is the first time that the cooperation of local and foreign NGOs has been established in such a global format and on a large scale. Civil society has already been feeling the unique opportunities that COP29 has given to Azerbaijan." This was stated by Ramil Iskandarli, Chairman of the Board of Azerbaijan National NGO Forum. He added that members of the Azerbaijan National NGO Forum had closely participated in establishing this cooperation: "Everyone is trying to contribute to this process as much as possible”.
Ramil Iskandarli said that “there are 3 groups of organisations with observer status at the Conference of the Parties (COP) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The first is the United Nations System and its Specialized Agencies, the second is Intergovernmental Organizations, and the third is NGOs. Currently, 3631 NGOs have observer status with the UNFCCC. About 90% of these organisations are united in 9 Constituencies. These Constituencies are ENGO (Environmental groups), BINGO (Business and industry), WGC (Women and gender), RINGO (Research and academic institutions), Farmers (Farming and agriculture), TUNGO (Labor unions), YUNGO (Youth and children groups), LGMA (Local governments and municipal authorities) and IPO (Indigenous populations). There are also 3 Informal Groups (Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs), Education, and Communication and Outreach Stakeholders (ECOs) and Parliamentarians). At the same time, Disability Caucus is understood to be an Informal Group. A certain group of NGOs are not a member of any Constituency and operate separately”.
Ramil Iskanderli noted that the Azerbaijan National NGO Forum is interested in establishing close cooperation with the 9 Constituencies, including Informal Groups: “36 NGOs in the "COP29 NGO Coalition" are members of the Constituencies. At present, NGOs from 5 out of the 9 Constituency are included in the Coalition. This represents a clear image of the scale at which the Coalition can operate. The cooperation of such organisations with NGOs from developing countries ensures inclusivity. Among them, 68 of the foreign NGOs in the Coalition are from developing countries.”
He also touched upon the announcement of the grant competition for NGOs made by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan together with the Agency for State Support to Non-Governmental Organizations named "International Initiatives related to COP29".
He said "This makes it possible for local NGOs to implement a joint project with foreign NGOs relating to COP29. It was announced that priority would be given to the partnering foreign organisation that is specifically from developing countries, especially Least Developed States and Small Island Developing States. It is a clear demonstration of how Azerbaijan is sensitive and caring towards the concept of inclusivity. We also want the voices of civil society organisations from all over the globe to be heard at COP29. We are of the view that the NGOs represented in the Coalition will actively participate in this competition”.
The Chairman of the Board of the Forum added that Azerbaijan's strong defence of the interests of developing countries is welcomed by the world: "In my opinion, this issue has started during the 4-year Chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement by Azerbaijan. It was a very productive platform, it created better conditions for Azerbaijan to see the challenges of the world. "Back in 2023, during its Chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement, Azerbaijan called on supporting the Post-Pandemic Challenges faced by Small Island States and allocated funds for this purpose. Small Island States have high hopes for Azerbaijan. From the statements made by the officials, we understand that Azerbaijan is pursuing efforts to establish a special Technical Support Fund for them together with the Commonwealth.
Ramil Iskandarli said that the landscape is clearer when looked at from this perspective: "Therefore while reading in the announcement of the grant competition - "International initiatives related to COP29" - for NGOs that was initiated by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and the Agency for State Support to Non-Governmental Organizations that priority will be given to NGOs from the Least Developed States and Small Island Developing States, it becomes clear that Azerbaijan not only speaks words but also offers financial assistance to the states in this category within its capacity.”
Ramil Iskandarli stressed that a hybrid meeting of the "COP29 NGO Coalition" was held via Zoom at which the ideas were listened to and the opportunities for cooperation were explored in detail.
The Head of the Azerbaijan National NGO Forum also announced that they would prepare an appeal to the COP29 Presidency: "We know that the representatives of the 9 Constituencies, where the absolute majority of 3631 observer NGOs gathered in the framework of the UNFCCC, are invited to participate at the pre-COPs. In this regard, when the representatives of Constituencies are in Baku for "Pre-COP29" in October, we would like to organise a meeting of the Constituency representatives with the Azerbaijan National NGO Forum, the initiator of "COP29 NGO Coalition" within the framework of the event. As the representatives of the Host Country's civil society, we want to hear their voices as well. We hope that our appeal will not go unanswered and will produce results."
