COP29: World agrees to triple public finance to developing countries, protecting lives and livelihoods 

The UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) closed today with a new finance goal to help countries to protect their people and economies against climate disasters, and share in the vast benefits of the clean energy boom. 

With a central focus on climate finance, COP29 brought together nearly 200 countries in Baku, Azerbaijan, and reached a breakthrough agreement that will: 

Triple public finance to developing countries, from the previous goal of USD 100 billion annually, to USD 300 billion annually by 2035.

Secure efforts of all actors to work together to scale up finance to developing countries, from public and private sources, to the amount of USD 1.3 trillion per year by 2035. 

Known formally as the New Collective Quantified on Climate Finance (NCQG), it was agreed after two weeks of intensive negotiations and several years of preparatory work, in a process that requires all nations to unanimously agree on every word of the agreement. 

However, following heavy criticism from developing countries regarding the draft text released on Friday, COP29 was extended by one day. This also saw a bitter fallout erupt between richer and poorer countries over climate finance to help tackle climate change. Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) walked out of talks on Saturday night but later rejoined and agreed on the annual $300 billion climate finance.

“This new finance goal is an insurance policy for humanity, amid worsening climate impacts hitting every country,” said Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change. “But like any insurance policy – it only works – if premiums are paid in full, and on time. Promises must be kept, to protect billions of lives.” 

“It will keep the clean energy boom growing, helping all countries to share in its huge benefits: more jobs, stronger growth, cheaper and cleaner energy for all.” 

The International Energy Agency expects global clean energy investment is set to exceed USD 2 trillion for the first time in 2024.  

The new finance goal at COP29 builds on significant strides forward on global climate action at COP27, which agreed an historic Loss and Damage Fund, and COP28, which delivered a global agreement to transition away from all fossil fuels in energy systems swiftly and fairly, triple renewable energy and boost climate resilience. 

COP29 also reached agreement on carbon markets – which several previous COPs had not been able to achieve. These agreements will help countries deliver their climate plans more quickly and make faster progress in halving global emissions this decade, as required by science. 

Important agreements were also reached on transparent climate reporting and adaptation as summarized below. 

Stiell also acknowledged that the agreement reached in Baku did not meet all Parties’ expectations, and substantially more work is still needed next year on several crucial issues. 

“No country got everything they wanted, and we leave Baku with a mountain of work to do,” said Stiell. “The many other issues we need to progress may not be headlines but they are lifelines for billions of people. So this is no time for victory laps, we need to set our sights and redouble our efforts on the road to Belem.” 

The finance agreement at COP29 comes as stronger national climate plans (Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs) become due from all countries next year. These new climate plans must cover all greenhouse gases and all sectors, to keep the 1.5°C warming limit within reach. COP29 saw two G20 countries – the UK and Brazil – signal clearly that they plan to ramp up climate action in their NDCs 3.0, because they are entirely in the interests of their economies and peoples. 

“We still have a very long road ahead, but here in Baku we took another important step forward,” said Stiell. “The UN Paris Agreement is humanity’s life-raft; there is nothing else. So here in Baku and all of the countries represented in this room we’re taking that journey forward together.” 

 Article 6 of the Paris Agreement 

A notable achievement during the past two weeks was the progress made on carbon markets. After nearly a decade of work, countries have agreed on the final building blocks that set out how carbon markets will operate under the Paris Agreement, making country-to-country trading and a carbon crediting mechanism fully operational. 

On country-to-country trading (Article 6.2), the decision out of COP29 provides clarity on how countries will authorize the trade of carbon credits and how registries tracking this will operate. And there is now reassurance that environmental integrity will be ensured up front through technical reviews in a transparent process. 

On day one of COP29, countries agreed standards for a centralized carbon market under the UN (Article 6.4 mechanism). This is good news for developing countries, who will benefit from new flows of finance. And it is particularly good news for least developed countries, who will get the capacity-building support they need to get a foothold in the market.

This mechanism, known as the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism, is underpinned by mandatory checks for projects against strong environmental and human rights protections, including safeguards that ensure a project can’t go ahead without explicit, informed agreement from Indigenous Peoples. It also allows anyone affected by a project to appeal a decision or file a complaint. 

Under the text agreed on Article 6.4, there is a clear mandate for the UN carbon market to align with science. It tasks the Body getting this market up and running to consider the best available science across all work going forward.  

The work on carbon markets doesn’t stop in Baku. The Supervisory Body setting up the new carbon crediting mechanism has been handed a long 2025 to-do list by Parties and will continue to be accountable to them.  

However, Civil society organisations termed it as “dangerous rules on carbon markets”

Rose Jackson, from Corporate Accountability, said, “COP29’s failure to stop the idiocy of carbon markets and instead open for their further expansion is an enormous tragedy. Carbon markets are markets for permits to pollute – solely conceived and set up to benefit polluters to avoid and delay real action. In a world that needs to reduce emission to zero as fast as possible everywhere, there is zero justification for pollution trading. Worse – following the decisions at COP29, the field has opened for carbon markets that include dangerous and extremely risky geoengineering technologies. It is now of imperative importance for all kinds of actors to hinder their implementation at national levels while continuing to fight back and revert this decision at coming COPs.”

Adaptation 

COP29 was an important moment for adaptation, with the delivery of several key outcomes. The COP decision on matters relating to the least developed countries (LDCs) contains a provision for the establishment of a support programme for the implementation of National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) for the LDCs. Parties extensively discussed the second five-year assessment of progress to formulate and implement NAPs, and will continue that in June 2025.

A High-Level Dialogue on National Adaptation Plans convened ministers from least developed countries and small island developing States, financial experts and international donors to address the growing urgency of climate adaptation. Their discussions focused on innovative financing, technical support, and accelerated action to meet the 2025 submission deadline for NAPs. The event concluded with a strong call to action to expedite NAPs and translate plans into tangible outcomes.  

The outcome on the global goal on adaptation sets a clear path forward on the road to COP30 for the indicators work programme, providing a process for experts to continue their technical work before passing the baton to Parties. COP29 also launched the Baku Adaptation Road Map and Baku high-level dialogue on adaptation to enhance the implementation of the UAE Framework. Finally, the outcome raises ambition by agreeing to continue unpacking transformational adaptation moving forward. 

COP29 took a decisive step forward to elevate the voices of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in climate action, adopting the Baku Workplan and renewing the mandate of the Facilitative Working Group (FWG) of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIPP). The adopted decision acknowledges the progress made by the FWG in fostering collaboration among Parties, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and underscores the leadership of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in addressing the climate crisis.  

 
Gender and climate change 

Countries agreed a decision on gender and climate change, extending the enhanced Lima Work Programme on Gender and Climate Change for another 10 years, reaffirming the importance of gender equality and advancing gender mainstreaming throughout the convention. 

They also agreed to develop a new gender action plan for adoption at COP30, which will set the direction for concrete implementation. 

Civil society participation, children and youth 

World leaders at COP29 were joined by civil society, subnationals, business, Indigenous Peoples, youth, philanthropy, and international organizations. More than 55,000 people attended COP29 to share ideas, solutions, and build partnerships and coalitions.

 The decisions taken at COP29 also reemphasize the critical importance of empowering all stakeholders to engage in climate action; in particular under Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE). Parties recalled the importance of integrating ACE elements into national climate change policies, plans, strategies and action, and noted the secretariat’s compendium of good practices for integrating ACE elements into NDCs. 

COP29 marked a significant milestone as dedicated spaces were created to ensure the meaningful participation of children within the Youth-led Climate Forum for the first time. Four children, including the youngest at just 10 years old, took on roles as moderators and speakers, engaging directly with Parties and observer organizations.Their participation highlighted the importance of inclusivity and intergenerational collaboration in driving climate action. 

In parallel with the formal negotiations, the Global Climate Action space at COP29 provided a platform for governments, businesses and civil society to collaborate and showcase their real-world climate solutions. An overview and summary of these can be found here. 

The High-Level Champions, under the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action, launched their 2024 Yearbook of Global Climate Action at COP29, showing that climate action by non-Party stakeholders, including businesses, investors, sub-national actors and civil society, is driving progress towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, and that their engagement is more crucial than ever. 

Transparency 
Transparent climate reporting made big strides forward in Baku, building a stronger evidence base to strengthen climate policies over time, and helping to identify financing needs and opportunities. To date, 13 Parties have now submitted their first Biennial Transparency Reports (BTR) – due from all Parties by the end of the year. Andorra, Azerbaijan, the European Union, Germany, Guyana, Japan, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Netherlands, Panama, Singapore, Spain, and Türkiye have led the way on transparent climate reporting, and set an example for others to follow. 

In addition, all transparency negotiating items concluded successfully at COP29, with Parties expressing their appreciation for the timely completion of the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) reporting tools, the technical trainings, and the support provided to developing countries for reporting under the ETF that took place in 2024. 

A total of 42 events were organized under #Together4Transparency, a UNFCCC collaborative initiative that promotes climate transparency with Parties and non-Party stakeholders. These events emphasized the vital role of transparency in preparing NDCs and net-zero pathways, as well as in recognizing climate action from non-Party stakeholders. Events included high-level sessions, mandated events and training sessions to prepare countries for their BTRs, as well as to equip technical experts for the upcoming review process. 

The critical role of REDD+ was recognized through a £3 million pledge by the UK International Forest Unit to support UN Climate Change’s work over four years. This funding will bolster REDD+ activities in many countries, enabling the secretariat to create dedicated spaces for REDD+ experts to engage in technical dialogue. These efforts are expected to enhance the transparency and implementation of REDD+, in line with the Global Stocktake objective to halt and reverse deforestation and forest degradation by 2030

Reactions from developing countries, activists and civil society organisations:

In a statement said, “The just ended UN Climate Change Conference has proven what we feared: the voices of our 1.1 billion people have been ignored. This is not just a failure; it is a betrayal. The bulldozed New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) is a glaring symbol of this failure.”

The statement also noted “The LDC Group is outraged and deeply hurt by the outcome of COP29. Once again, the countries most responsible for the climate crisis have failed us. We leave Baku without an ambitious climate finance goal, without concrete plans to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C, and without the comprehensive support desperately needed for adaptation and loss and damage.” Despite exhaustive efforts to collaborate with key players, our pleas were met with indifference. This outright dismissal erodes the fragile trust that underpins these negotiations and mocks the spirit of global solidarity.

LDCs also point out the following:

Ambition is absent – The NCQG falls woefully short of addressing the climate emergency’s scale and urgency.

The most vulnerable excluded – It ignores the needs of LDCs and SIDS, offering no minimum allocation for our groups.

Loss and Damage dismissed – The plan lacks meaningful support, leaving our communities to suffer without recourse.

Access denied – Weak and vague commitments fail to improve access to climate finance for the most vulnerable.

Undefined Climate Finance – A lack of clear definitions undermines transparency, leaving the door open for manipulation and inaction.

Established mechanisms sidelined: There are no guarantees of finance flowing through trusted entities under the Convention and Paris Agreement.

M. Zakir Hossain Khan, Chief Executive, of Change Initiative said, “No deal is better than a bad deal.”

“The Paris Agreement will not be successful due to the lower priority given by top emitters to ensuring intergenerational justice and equity. Instead, they are engaging in an arms race to destroy lives and nature as quickly as possible,” he added.

Md Shamsuddoha, Chief Executive of the Center for Participatory Research and Development (CPRD) in Bangladesh said, “On the collapse of multilateralism: it is a respectful way of making decisions, followed by an inclusive discussion involving all parties.”

He said, “The dominant role of the developed country group in instituting neoliberal policy instruments, while gradually avoiding their historical (ir)responsibilities and obligations in addressing the crisis, are the key challenges to multilateralism. Since the beginning of climate change negotiations, the developed country group has been avoiding its obligations to reduce emissions and provide support for adaptation.”

“Though the Kyoto Protocol, adopted in 1997, assigned obligatory emission reduction targets for developed countries, it ultimately integrated a market mechanism, allowing these countries to transfer their mitigation obligations in exchange for providing means of implementation. The Kyoto Protocol’s market mechanism was later strongly incorporated into the Paris Agreement,” added Shamsuddoha.

Shamsuddoha also said, “Over the years, developed country groups have denied and delayed emission reductions, deployed MDBs and other private sectors to mobilize climate funds (which are predominantly loans), and denied liability for climate change-induced loss and damage, as well as compensation.”

He also said that the delivery of the annual $100 billion climate finance goal between 2020 and 2025 has never been met. The amounts delivered, if any, are mitigation-focused and mostly debt-financed. The developed country group vehemently tried to apply the same tactics while setting NCQG targets. In the end, they avoided their obligations to provide funds to NCQG while ensuring a dominant role and space for the MDBs in mobilizing funds.

He questioned, “Should we still rely on neoliberal economic systems and instruments, which are deeply rooted in the global development paradigm, North-dominated, and focused on private profit? Or should we establish a new development model, embedded with climate and development justice, under a global governance mechanism?

He suggested a thorough reform and restructuring of the current development model might work if it ensures a power balance between the North and South and prioritizes people and the planet over profit.

Harjeet Singh, Climate Activist and Global Engagement Director for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative said “At COP29, developed nations once again coerced developing countries into accepting a financial deal woefully inadequate to address the gravity of our global climate crisis. The deal fails to provide the critical support required for developing countries to transition swiftly from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy systems, or to prepare for the devastating impacts of the climate crisis, leaving them severely under-resourced.

“The outcome offers false hope to those already bearing the brunt of climate disasters and abandons vulnerable communities and nations, leaving them to face these immense challenges alone. We must persist in our fight, demanding a significant increase in financing and holding developed countries to account for delivering real, impactful actions.”

“Sohanur Rahman, Executive Coordinator of YouthNet Global, stated: ‘The outcome of COP29 is nothing short of a betrayal. Developed countries have prioritized profit over people, failing to meet their obligations and leaving the Global South to bear the brunt of a crisis they did not cause. This finance deal is not only insufficient—it’s an outright attack on justice and the right to a livable planet. As youth and civil society, we will not remain silent. Our voices will grow louder on the road to COP30 in Brazil, demanding true accountability and climate justice for all.'”