COP-29 begins today: Here are the 6 key agendas

KATHMANDU: The 29th Conference of the Parties (COP-29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has commenced in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The conference, running through Nov 22, will gather global leaders and high-ranking officials from 192 countries to address pressing climate issues.

Nepal’s delegation, led by President Ram Chandra Poudel, departed for Baku on Sunday, with plans to prioritize the unique challenges facing the Himalayan region due to climate change.

According to the President’s Secretariat, President Poudel will highlight

the increasing risks faced by Nepal due to climate-induced disasters, including melting glaciers and unpredictable weather events. Dr. Sindhu Prasad Dhungana, Head of the Climate Change Management Division at the Ministry of Forests and Environment, explained that Nepal will showcase various examples of these climate-related risks, such as glacial avalanches and unseasonal disasters, to advocate for better financial access to mitigate climate losses.

Nepal’s approach at COP-29 will focus on securing international climate finance to support its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plan (NAP).

As Dr. Dhungana emphasized, the country requires enhanced resources, technology, and capacity to implement these initiatives, with particular attention on climate finance.

Nepal has faced unprecedented disasters, such as massive floods in Solukhumbu’s Khumbu Pasang Lhamu rural municipality and the Mustang district, as well as the devastation caused by recent unseasonal floods in Melamchi River. Dhungana stressed the importance of securing climate finance from major polluting nations, particularly to address the growing risks from melting glaciers and the resulting landslides and avalanches affecting the Himalayas.

Kamalaraj Joshi, Director General of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, raised concerns over 47 major glacial lakes in the region at risk of bursting, 21 of which are within Nepal’s borders. Joshi argued for increased investment in reducing these risks, highlighting the need to investigate the causes of recent avalanches, including a comprehensive study of the Thame avalanche this year.

Joshi emphasized that Nepal must also clarify its own mitigation efforts before seeking international funding for climate-related losses. “We cannot simply claim climate impacts; it requires thorough research and readiness for disaster reduction,” he said.

Climate expert Manjit Dhakal added that Nepal’s COP agenda, backed by vivid examples of climate-related challenges, could attract further support to address these urgent issues.

Six Key Agendas for COP

To address climate-related risks and advance the nation’s interests, the government has prioritized six key agendas at the COP conference, represented by Nepal’s delegation.

According to the Ministry of Forests and Environment, these agendas focus on climate finance, climate-related loss and damage, carbon trading for mitigation, emissions measurement, mountain issues, technology and capacity enhancement, climate adaptation, and inclusivity.

“We have prepared and presented Nepal’s national position paper at COP, which includes a national concept paper covering climate adaptation, climate finance, agriculture and food systems, health and climate change, energy transition and efficiency, water and climate actions, and nature-based solutions for climate,” stated Dr. Buddhi Poudel, a Joint Secretary at the ministry.

There is also a concerted push to advocate for the effective implementation of the climate loss and damage fund established last year at COP28 in Dubai, UAE.