Baku, November 19, AZERTAC

A conference on “Accelerating Adaptation Action at COP29: Progress on Formulating and Implementing National Adaptation Plans” was held on Tuesday as part of COP29.

The panel discussions, moderated by Orville Grey, Head of the Secretariat for the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network, revolved around the progress and sharing lessons learned from the past decade of work on NAPs, galvanizing further cooperation to strengthen and accelerate NAP processes.

Addressing the event, Yalchin Rafiyev, COP29 Lead Negotiator, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister, said: “Climate change has already happened and its impacts are being felt through rising sea levels, weather extremes, droughts and floods. Countries around the world must act and urgently accelerate adaptation efforts at the global level.”

“Azerbaijan submitted its National Adaptation Plan (NAP) earlier this month. We call on countries to submit their NAPs by 2025. This would allow them to make progress in their implementation by 2030. These plans will guide how we share the best practices, transfer technology and support each other’s ambitions,” Yalchin Rafiyev added.

Other speakers at the event included, Daniele Violetti, UNFCCC Representative, and Sue Biniaz, US State Department's Principal Deputy Special Envoy for Climate, Francesco Corvaro, Italian Government's Special Envoy for Climate Change, and Emmanuel Urey Yarkpawolo, Executive Director of the of the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia. The speakers highlighted the work done by their countries in submitting national adaptation plans.

A high-level panel discussion of governments, UN agencies and technical assistance partners aims to draw political attention to NAPs and showcase efforts to support developing countries in accelerating the implementation of their national adaptation plans and other adaptation instruments.