PARIS: The United Nations announced on Monday that Germany will host next year’s top climate talks, COP29, if countries fail to designate an Eastern European host amid reported tensions caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The annual UN-hosted negotiations focusing on combating climate change, known as COPs, rotate among regions and attract tens of thousands of attendees, including world leaders and industry executives.
According to the rotation schedule, an Eastern European country is due to host the 2024 talks following this year’s COP28, which will commence on November 30 in the United Arab Emirates. However, an impasse has arisen as an Eastern European country needs to be chosen, and Russia is reportedly opposing an EU member hosting the event due to ongoing tensions related to the conflict in Ukraine.
While non-EU countries Armenia and Azerbaijan have been considered as potential candidates, Baku’s military activities in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh have escalated tensions with Moscow. A decision should ideally be made at COP28 in Dubai, but there is no fixed deadline for the selection process, as per a spokesperson for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Germany to Host COP29
“In case there is no consensus in the Eastern Europe group, the next year’s climate talks would be held in Germany,” stated the UNFCCC spokesperson. Germany, which has hosted the UNFCCC secretariat in Bonn since 1996, will take on the responsibility of hosting the talks if no Eastern European host is designated.
The United Arab Emirates will preside over the COP28 talks as the host, as confirmed by the UNFCCC spokesperson. While there have been reports suggesting that the UAE was willing to host the talks for a second consecutive year, the Emirati presidency of COP28 denied such claims.
“This is not even on our radar,” stated a spokesperson for the UAE. “We are focused on delivering ambitious climate change action at COP28. The question around the host nation for COP29 is decided based on the procedures provided by the UNFCCC.”
