Peace and Security at COP29

Dec 9, 2024 | Noah Fritzhand and Anna Spear
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In November, Azerbaijan hosted the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29). The event’s start was marked by sharp divisions, including disputes over the agenda, temporary breakdowns in negotiations, a boycott by Papua New Guinea, and criticism of Baku’s conference leadership. Key agenda items included increasing climate finance for poor countries, advancing COP28’s pledge to transition away from fossil fuels, and building resilient food systems, all of which featured important security and geopolitical dynamics. In the end, the agreed upon finance goal fell short of what many developing countries called for, decisions on next steps toward a fossil fuel phaseout were punted to COP30, and any progress was largely overshadowed by concerns about Azerbaijan’s COP Presidency.