BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 12. The legacy of COP29, held in Baku, is becoming increasingly evident; one indication of this is the Fourth UN Climate Week, hosted in the Azerbaijani capital ahead of COP31 in Türkiye.
The very fact that a regional UN Climate Week was held in Baku—in the run-up to the conference in Antalya—carries both symbolic and practical significance. Azerbaijan did not simply hand off the climate agenda to the next presidency upon the conclusion of COP29. On the contrary, the country has continued to engage in processes linking the decisions made in Baku to the subsequent stages of global climate policy.
Representatives from various countries and international organizations—not just from Azerbaijan—highlighted this during Climate Week. Their assessments reveal a broader picture: for Azerbaijan, COP29 is not merely a one-off event, but a pivotal moment marking the country's continued role in shaping the global climate agenda.
One of the most significant outcomes of COP29 was the agreement reached on the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) for climate finance. Speaking at the opening of Baku Climate Week, Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), directly linked the current phase of climate action to the decisions adopted in Azerbaijan.
He noted that it was during COP29 that nations made progress on climate finance: a new global goal of $300 billion annually by 2035 was established, a call was made to raise the total volume of climate finance to at least $1.3 trillion annually by 2035, and work began on the "Baku-to-Belém" roadmap.
The principle of continuity is particularly important here.
In this context, Baku serves not as the endpoint of the negotiation process, but as its starting point. While the primary focus at COP29 was on reaching agreements, the subsequent phase involves giving those agreements practical substance.
This is precisely why the remarks by the Turkish representative—stating that COP31 will prioritize the implementation of existing decisions over the adoption of new ones—carry particular significance. Thus, the "Antalya agenda" largely builds upon the logic established in Baku.
Head of the Support Services Department at Türkiye’s Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, Ahmet Sami Kulaklıoğlu, explicitly told Trend that Türkiye is continuously drawing on Azerbaijan’s experience and expertise as it prepares for COP31.
He noted that since the decision was made to host COP31 in Türkiye, the two sides have maintained constant communication, with Türkiye aiming to address conference preparations jointly with Azerbaijan and guided by its experience.
This demonstrates that Baku’s organizational and negotiating experience is viewed as a practical asset for the incoming presidency.
This assessment was confirmed by the Chairman of the Environment Committee of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, Mehmet Galip Ensarioğlu.
He noted that Türkiye participated in COP29 and witnessed the successful organization of the conference in Azerbaijan. He specifically highlighted the decision on climate finance reached in Baku and stated that Türkiye intends to use Azerbaijan’s successful organizational experience as a model for hosting COP31.
Thus, the legacy of COP29 encompasses at least two dimensions.
The first is the negotiating dimension: the decisions, agreements, and processes initiated in Baku.
The second is the institutional and organizational dimension: the experience of hosting one of the largest international climate conferences, fostering dialogue among states, the business community, the financial sector, and civil society, and sustaining the negotiation process after the conference concluded.
It's precisely the combination of these two components that makes Azerbaijan’s experience potentially applicable beyond the scope of a single conference. Perhaps the most telling assessment came from a member of the UK House of Lords and former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Patricia Scotland.
She noted that Azerbaijan’s efforts during COP29 were pivotal, and that the country’s subsequent activities paved the way for achieving the set goals and established the necessary framework.
Scotland also specifically highlighted that Azerbaijan didn't stop after COP29; instead, it continued its work as a partner in the Belém Process and maintains its cooperation in the lead-up to COP31 in Antalya.
This assessment is significant precisely because it demonstrates that the international perception of Azerbaijan’s role extends beyond the mere fact of hosting COP29.
Once a conference concludes, the presidency inevitably faces the question: what remains after the final plenary session?
In Azerbaijan’s case, the answer lies in ongoing climate diplomacy, participation in follow-up processes, engagement with the COP30 and COP31 presidencies, and now the hosting of Climate Week in Baku.
Azerbaijan's Deputy Foreign Minister, COP29 lead negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev described the hosting of UN Climate Week in Baku as a logical continuation of the country's active climate diplomacy.
According to him, 62 events were held as part of Baku Climate Action Week, with some directly linked to the practical implementation of decisions from previous COP summits.
COP29 took place in Baku, and COP31 will be held in Antalya. COP30 is scheduled to take place in Belém in the interim. During this period, Baku is once again serving as a venue for discussions on the implementation of adopted decisions, climate finance, the energy transition, adaptation, and international cooperation.
This creates a distinct chain: Baku – Belém – Antalya.
However, within this chain, Baku remains more than just the site of a past COP; it continues to serve as a platform for dialogue and the sharing of expertise.
This is particularly important for developing and vulnerable nations, for whom the climate agenda is increasingly becoming a matter not only of the environment but also of access to finance, energy security, infrastructure resilience, and economic development.
Another element of the COP29 legacy is evident in Azerbaijan's energy policy.
Speaking at the opening of Climate Week, Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov announced that Azerbaijan plans to begin operating two green energy corridors starting in 2032.
These include the first phase of the Caspian–Black Sea–Europe project, with a total capacity of 3,900 MW, and the Central Asia–Azerbaijan green energy corridor.
At the same time, Azerbaijan is exploring the development of new energy links toward Türkiye and Europe via Georgia, the Zangezur Corridor, and Nakhchivan.
This highlights another aspect of Azerbaijan's approach: climate policy is increasingly viewed through the lens of regional connectivity.
In this context, the energy transition is about more than just reducing emissions. It also involves creating infrastructure that connects markets, enhances the resilience of energy systems, and opens up new opportunities for cross-border electricity trade.
Here, a link to the upcoming COP31 emerges once again.
Shahbazov himself noted that the energy transition and electrification would be key priorities of the Turkish presidency, emphasizing that Azerbaijan would continue to build upon the "rich legacy of COP29" by translating the energy transition agenda into concrete projects and regional interconnectivity.
However, the climate legacy of COP29 cannot be reduced solely to finance and energy.
Discussions in Baku also addressed how countries can adapt to climate changes that are already underway.
Azerbaijan’s Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Umayra Taghiyeva, announced plans to implement a project—in partnership with UNEP and the Green Climate Fund—aimed at strengthening climate data and multi-hazard early warning systems.
Particular attention is being paid to the integration of artificial intelligence into climate risk forecasting.
Azerbaijan has already automated 82 percent of its national meteorological observation systems, and the next phase involves establishing more advanced early warning mechanisms.
A connection to COP29 decisions is evident here as well: Taghiyeva herself noted that the new climate finance goal agreed upon in Baku creates opportunities for vulnerable nations regarding adaptation and early warning systems.
This serves as a significant example of how a global climate agreement can translate into action at the national level.
There is also a less visible but fundamentally important element of the COP29 legacy: transparency.
Head of the Climate Diplomacy Department at Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Elchin Allahverdiyev, noted that the country had submitted its transparency reports ahead of schedule. According to him, this helped ensure that more than a hundred countries submitted their reports by the end of the relevant period, while the process itself fostered trust among the parties. This is of fundamental importance for international climate policy.
Ultimately, the main outcome of Baku Climate Week lies not in the number of events held or even the number of participants. Its significance lies in demonstrating that the climate agenda continues to evolve beyond COP29 and that Azerbaijan remains an active participant in this process.
From Baku to Belém, and from Belém to Antalya. Yet, part of the road to COP31 still runs through Baku.
