Azerbaijan Has a Mighty Job Ahead for COP29
As this year’s United Nations climate summit host, the country could be a strong voice for developing nations despite skepticism about its own intentions.
Azerbaijan’s ecology minister, Mukhtar Babayev, in February 2023.
Photographer: Tofik Babayev/AFP via Getty Images
It’s been about a month since the gavel came down on COP28 in Dubai, but it’s already time to start looking ahead to COP29.
The 28th United Nations climate conference took place in a Middle Eastern petrostate last year; this year’s summit will convene in another petrostate, though this time farther north: Azerbaijan. If that wasn’t enough déjà vu, Mukhtar Babayev, the country’s minister of ecology and natural resources and a former executive for the national oil company, Socar, will succeed Sultan Al Jaber, head of Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., as COP29 president.
How did we end up with Azerbaijan? Landing as conference host wasn’t easy. With eastern Europe this year’s designated region, negotiations were challenging: Russia was vetoing European Union members, while Azerbaijan and Armenia were blocking each other over a long-standing conflict. The need for facilities large enough to accommodate an international summit — and not being involved in active warfare — made it even harder. A decision only emerged in COP28’s final days, after Armenia agreed to back Azerbaijan’s bid as part of efforts toward a peace deal.