BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 9. The implementation of the goals of the Paris Agreement needs to be accelerated as climate impacts continue to intensify worldwide, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Simon Stiell said during Baku Climate Action Week, Trend's correspondent reports from the event.
According to him, COP29 in Baku became an important milestone in international climate cooperation. “At COP29, countries agreed on a new global climate finance goal of $300 billion annually by 2035, and called on all parties to work together to scale up climate finance from public and private sources to at least $1.3 trillion per year by 2035,” Stiell said.
He noted that the Baku Roadmap to mobilize $1.3 trillion continued this work through practical steps aimed at ensuring that financing reaches the areas where it is needed most. “Returning to Baku means more to me than symbolism. It is a starting point for implementing commitments and a test of whether promises made in negotiation rooms are being transformed into projects, investments and real protection for people on the ground,” the UNFCCC executive secretary said.
He stressed that international climate cooperation is producing results and that without it, humanity would be moving toward catastrophic levels of warming. “Investment in clean energy now exceeds $2 trillion annually. Renewable energy has overtaken coal as the world’s largest source of electricity generation, and this gap will continue to grow,” Stiell said.
He emphasized that the transition to clean energy is irreversible, while climate-related consequences are also becoming more severe. “Every region is facing stronger heatwaves, floods, droughts, wildfires and food insecurity, and every economy is exposed to these risks. That is why every fraction of a degree matters,” Stiell noted.
He added that from Baku Climate Action Week to COP31 and beyond, efforts must focus on accelerating the implementation of the goals of the Paris Agreement.
The third day of the Baku Climate Action Week 2026 (BCAW 2026) is underway.
The program of the third day will focus on issues such as the transition from climate commitments to concrete action, climate financing, youth participation in climate processes, artificial intelligence and climate technologies, energy efficiency, methane emissions reduction, water resources management, and cultural heritage protection.
Representatives of governments and international organizations, experts, financial institutions, the private sector, and civil society from various countries are attending the events.
Now in its third year, Baku Climate Action Week is being held in parallel with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Climate Week for the first time this year. The Fourth Climate Week and Baku Climate Action Week will feature a series of sessions, panel discussions and other events on climate change, climate finance, sustainable development and accelerating climate action.
BCAW 2026 will continue until September 11.
