The COP Collection
Building bridges and taking a whole-of-society approach
At the heart of the climate challenge is the reality that countries have different starting points, with different resources, capabilities and priorities. The solution, says Nigar Arpadarai, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP29, is to increase global cooperation with a “whole-of-society” approach.
COP29 is taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan
“This problem cannot be solved by only governments alone, without the private sector, without civil society, without academia, without grassroots. This is a challenge that needs everyone on board, and that's why we are trying to be inclusive at COP29.”
Nigar Arpadarai,
UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP29
Building more solidarity
“We need to build more solidarity. There is too much of a blame game,” says Arpadarai, an international law expert, member of Azerbaijan’s National Assembly, and member of the Committee on International and Interparliamentary Relations and Committee on Family, Women and Children. “Everyone is affected by climate change. This may be the only [global challenge] that requires solidarity from everyone. We must put everything aside and decide to do this. This is what’s required.” For this reason, she says, the COP29 Presidency is focused on bridge building and, as a small country, serving as an “honest broker” between the Global South and the Global North.
Nigar Arpadarai, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP29
“Different kinds of problems require different kinds of solutions, which means we need to create a global ecosystem that considers the interests of everyone – of small and big nations, and of small and big corporations and entrepreneurs.”
However, whatever policies or priorities are defined, there is always an impact on economies and development, she says, with a growing global awareness that climate actions must be equitable, just, and leave nobody behind.
“We are giving the space for all parties to work through all of their different views and agendas, to come to solidarity and to agree on the finance goal.”
Enhancing ambition and enabling action
Working toward this goal, COP29 has two overarching pillars: enhancing ambition and enabling action. Enhancing ambition is about encouraging countries to update and share their nationally determined contributions, and to do so in a more transparent manner that details plans and strategies, she says. Enabling action is about supercharging capacity building, technology advancement, and, perhaps most importantly, finance, “the ultimate enabler of action.” One of the main expected outcomes of COP29, she says, is progress on the New Collective Quantified Goal, which will set new financial targets to help developing countries address climate change and provide a more realistic framework for funding that will have the trust of both donor and receiving countries. “We are giving the space for all parties to work through all of their different views and agendas, to come to solidarity and to agree on the finance goal.” The inclusiveness she champions is not only about which nations are at the table, though ensuring the interests of small nations and developing countries is essential to progress.
“We have to make sure that we are doing capacity building and showing small and medium enterprises how to access finance.”
Incentivizing business, especially SMEs
She sees an urgency to move beyond governments to address and engage the private sector. “Without the private sector, [climate change mitigation] will not be possible. And for that, we need to make sure they believe in the green transition. If they are not incentivized, if they don't have a proper dialogue with their governments, this green transition will not happen.” While many large companies already understand the challenges and opportunities that the energy transition offers, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have not been sufficiently targeted, she says. In fact, the energy transition can seem scary and overwhelming “if all you are telling them is about new standards and regulations that they will have to adjust to, while they are worrying about loans and taking care of their families. “We have to make sure that we are doing capacity building and showing small and medium enterprises how to access finance.” Getting these SMEs on board is crucial. They comprise 80% of jobs and half the global economy, so any just transition must ensure they not only survive but thrive, she stresses. Plus, comprising half the global economy, the transition can’t happen without them. That’s why Arpadarai, as a UN Climate Champion, is promoting the Climate Proofing SMEs campaign.
SMEs comprise
HALF THE GLOBAL ECONOMY
So far, they have engaged more than 30 partner organizations, including the SME Climate Hub, the International Chamber of Commerce, and the International Trade Center, that together represent a network with a reach of 65 million businesses.
Climate Proofing SMEs is one of the initiatives of COP29
“It’s important that we clarify our messaging and explain to the ordinary person how they can be an important part of this work.”
Grassroots education
Inclusiveness extends beyond government, business and other organizations – all the way to everyday individuals, no matter where in the world they live. The energy transition involves some significant changes and adjustments, so people need to be educated on the benefits and challenges, she says. “On a grassroots level, everyone in society needs to be ready for the new climate agenda. It's all about creating and sharing this vision. Success needs everyone on board. “That involves education and awareness campaigns to talk about the opportunities and the challenges of executing on that vision.” These educational programs also need to explain that individual actions are part of the solution, she says. “Explain that their actions matter, that their habits make a difference, that their lifestyle makes a difference. Right now, [to many of those outside the global climate community] the rhetoric is complicated and it feels like a closed club. It’s important that we clarify our messaging and explain to the ordinary person how they can be an important part of this work.” Formal education also must change, she says, to meet the needs of entirely new industries and specializations in the industries that are addressing climate change. “We need new types of jobs, and we need to teach the necessary skills for those jobs and to respond to those new requirements.”
Climate ‘heroes’
With her focus on inclusiveness and individuals, Arpadarai is working to highlight the power that an individual can make. She initiated the Impact Makers project in her role as the UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP29. It identifies social entrepreneurs, community leaders, startups and small organizations from across the globe that have developed tangible solutions that are making a difference in their communities. They are then featured online and at events such as COP29 and COP30. “What we see is that the climate conversation can be very negative, and people have a feeling that we are doomed and cannot change anything. But as a Champion, I see so many great people who care about the planet and who have come up with solutions. “We want to showcase the heroes, and the real people behind these stories who come up with a great idea and make a solution. They are self-motivated and develop brilliant ideas to support this transition. [Hearing their stories] makes me feel wonderful and optimistic because I understand that people can and are doing these things!”
“We want to showcase the heroes, and the real people behind these stories who come up with a great idea and make a solution.”
This program, along with Climate Proofing SMEs, are just two of the initiatives associated with COP29, which has developed 14 initiatives, out of which nine are declarations and five are partnerships. Arpadarai called out some, including a proposed pledge to grow global energy storage capacity six-fold, and the Baku Initiative on Climate Finance, Investment and Trade (BICFIT), which shows the mutually reinforcing role of climate finance, investment and trade in addressing intersectional challenges of climate change and sustainable development. Breakthroughs in financing the energy transition for developing countries, however, will be the key outcome, she expects – something made possible by the COP29 Presidency’s focus on “creating a space for parties to come together” on this and other key topics. “We really are anticipating an inclusive COP. Success depends on an unprecedented level of collaboration, and I'm very optimistic we can do that and move a step closer to the 1.5-degree goal set by the Paris Agreement at COP21.”
