Negotiations at COP29 are advancing inconsistently as Week 1 finishes, with minimal progress achieved in critical areas like Article 6, Global Stocktake, Just Transition and Mitigation Work Programmes, Response Measures, and Gender and Climate. Notwithstanding certain progress in substantive elements of NCQG negotiations, Loss and Damage arrangements and the Joint work on implementation of climate action on agriculture and food security, many concerns still unsolved, and delays hindering serious conversations. Substantial disagreements remain over the scope of the GST dialogue and the lack of cooperation on the gender agenda is also a cause for concern. The negotiators must be aware of the tight time limits and adjust their strategy, accordingly, focusing on the formation of common positions on the substantive issues that have arisen with the aim of resolving the impasses.
Summary of Key Negotiations Updates at COP29
🌍 New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) The Parties have made progress in building consensus on certain substantive elements of the NCQG emphasizing on qualitative aspects and aligning the NCQG with the overarching objectives of the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement, as well as fostering synergies with other key instruments in the climate regime, including NDCs, NAPs, and the GST.
📋 Adaptation The AC report negotiations were led to approval with important missing elements for developing countries such as the need for AC products to be translated into all UN languages or the hosting of regional capacity building workshops. National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) streamlined text was met with widespread dissatisfaction because of lack of key issues like Means of Implementation (MoI) and finance (G77 + China). Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) discussions met with agreements on key principles, including adaptation-specific indicators, global aggregation for the GST, and comprehensive coverage.
🌍 Loss and Damage Parties endorsed the report prepared by the Standing Committee on Finance regarding the draft arrangements between the COP, the CMA, and the Loss and Damage Fund.
📜 Article 6 The Bureau agreed to allow limited time on Saturday to hold important discussions on Article 6.2, the Clean Development Mechanism and Article 6.4. The joint decision-making debate will move to Week 2 for ministerial discussions from Singapore and New Zealand.
🔍 Global Stocktake (GST) The co-facilitators created a new iteration of the informal memo where the parties discussed their preferred options. Key disagreements included the inclusion of high-level events, the inclusion of specific agenda items and outcomes of the dialogue.
🛠️ Just Transition Work Programme (JTWP) A second draft text aimed to balance diverse priorities but left limited review time for Parties. Discussions were postponed to Saturday morning, with co-chairs urging readiness for a final agreement push.
🌱 Sharm el-Sheikh Mitigation Ambition and Implementation Work Programme (MWP) The discussions on the informal note was given limited space to the parties to digest it thus engendering ψo-facilitators to request time for another negotiation to find consensus on a way forward.
💡 Gender and Climate Change Discussions did not advance on Friday, with continued divisions on several issues including ambition (EU, AILAC, Umbrella Group, EIG proposing further ambition), and finance (G77 and AGN calling for additional means of implementation (MoI)).