COP29: High-level ministerial meeting begins Tuesday to finalise key financial discussions

The high-level ministerial meetings will begin on Tuesday at the COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, to finalize crucial discussions held over the past week.

Bangladesh, one of the countries most affected by climate change, is advocating for fair and just climate financing at this summit, which brings together nearly 200 global leaders.

Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to Bangladesh's Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, joined the conference on November 18 and has actively highlighted Bangladesh's climate vulnerability.

She is set to present the nation’s proposals in alignment with other affected nations, emphasizing the need for enhanced funding for adaptation and mitigation strategies.

The adviser told UNB that Bangladesh would uphold its commitment to the 1.5-degree Celsius temperature limit established by the 2015 Paris Agreement.

She stressed that climate finance should prioritize the most vulnerable communities, and true climate justice would require raising the annual $100 billion financial aid target set for developed countries to support emissions reductions and climate resilience.

Mirza Shawkat Ali, Director of the Department of Environment and Climate Change, mentioned that while junior-level discussions have covered various issues, finalization will occur at the ministerial meetings.

Adviser Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change of Bangladesh, will attend the high-level segment (ministerial-level) meeting with representatives from other countries on Tuesday.

He mentioned that she will present Bangladesh's proposals at the conference, highlighting the needs of climate-affected countries, including Bangladesh, which are enduring the severe impacts of climate change.

Meanwhile, the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh's interim government has emphasized the severe impact of climate change in his speech.

In his address, the Chief Adviser highlighted the urgent risks posed by climate change, stressing that this crisis cannot be delayed and requires immediate collective action.

He described the current state of civilization as self-destructive from an environmental perspective and called for the creation of a new, more sustainable civilization to address these pressing challenges.

This year’s COP29 is centered around the critical issue of climate finance, with the level of commitment from wealthy nations likely to determine the overall success of the conference. While high-carbon-emitting developing countries like China and Gulf nations have yet to make significant contributions to the climate support fund, poorer nations have already raised demands for $1 trillion in climate-related compensation to address the impacts of climate change.

Amid recent political shifts, reaching a consensus on climate goals has become increasingly challenging, as international perspectives and priorities continue to diverge. This division underscores the difficulty in forging a unified global response to the urgent climate crisis.