For the second year in a row, an experienced oil sector minister will oversee global climate negotiations. Mukhtar Babayev, an Azerbaijani, has been named president of the COP29 negotiations, which will take place in Baku in November.
Babayev, who is presently the Azerbaijani government's minister for ecology and natural resources, has substantial experience in the oil sector, having worked for Azerbaijan's state-owned oil and gas corporation Socar for 26 years until becoming environment minister in 2018.
Babayev succeeded Sultan al-Jaber, an experienced oil executive from the UAE who presided over COP28 in Dubai. Despite concerns about the role of oil producers in climate discussions, al-Jaber was able to achieve agreement on "transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems" at COP28. In contrast, Babayev is less well-known among climate diplomats, and less is known about the Azerbaijani government's intentions for the COP29 chairmanship.
While some experts expect COP29 to be a low-key summit with a focus on agreeing on a new, longer-term quantified financial target, climate campaigners are concerned about the oil industry's rising influence in climate negotiations. The appointment of Babayev, a former oil executive from an autocratic petrostate, has aroused concerns about the sincerity of the discussions and the power of major polluters. Campaigners such as Alice Harrison of Global Witness calls on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to intervene, advocating for the removal of individuals affiliated with major polluters from climate negotiations.
Azerbaijan, led by President Ilham Aliyev since 2003, is preparing to host COP29, building on its international prominence established by events such as the Eurovision Song Contest in 2012 and the Baku European Games in 2015. As the world expects the climate talks in Baku, the appointment of Babayev as president will be widely observed, with hopes for success on finance-related goals at COP29.
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