Guide to COP29

Putting frontline communities at the heart of decisions

Extreme heat, destructive wildfires, and catastrophic storms and floods are affecting our global community. The climate and nature crises are pushing millions into poverty every year, driving people from their homes and threatening food supplies. We need to act and fast. The way in which the world responds to these emergencies are crucial to all our futures. We need to make a change.

What is COP29?

COP29 is the climate conference led by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), was held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 11th to 22nd November. 2024’s climate summit needed to move beyond past commitments to agree on a bold new finance deal that addressed people’s needs and tackled the scale of the problem. Accelerating a transition to an economy that works for both people and the planet.

As communities on the frontlines faced the interconnected challenges of biodiversity loss, climate change, and poverty, Practical Action focused on providing support that addressed the complexities of these issues through our expertise in community-led initiatives. Our team aimed to ensure that government representatives and policymakers prioritised these increasingly significant issues and committed to ambitious decisions that could bring about the necessary change. We also collaborated with the private sector and civil society organisations in order to forge partnerships that demonstrate and scale the solutions needed for a brighter future for vulnerable communities. This meant redirecting resources to initiatives that genuinely support both people and nature.

We know that those living on the frontline are now facing multiple, unprecedented emergencies. So our task was to persuade government representatives to take these two key issues seriously and ensure they made ambitious decisions.

Learn more about COP

Why did Practical Action go to COP29?

The ultimate aim of this summit was to limit the climate crises and impact on our world.

At COP29, we saw our role as sharing what we have learnt from those who are already adapting to extreme climate events. Some of our staff were part of national delegations, directly influencing the negotiations. We also influenced the outcomes by making sure the most vulnerable are heard and focused on ensuring more support and finance was directed to meeting their needs.

Our Head of Climate and Resilience, Colin McQuistan, says,

“The annual climate negotiations need to reflect the whole of society, that is why organisations such as Practical Action need to be in the room. We have a role to play, it’s not just the responsibility of governments to act, all sectors of society need to act, to ensure that we are doing the maximum possible to reverse climate change. Where things are not possible, we need to address the impacts of the climate emergency in an inclusive and holistic way. Join us as we put hope into action.”

We provided evidence and technical support to governmental delegations, participated in events, and spoke to the media. We showcased bottom-up adaptive work by people on the front line of climate change, which works with nature, not against it. We called for a focus on the approaches and resources needed to scale change and enable communities to adapt and deal with the loss and damage that they are already experiencing.

Essential outcomes we wanted to see at COP29

• Ensure climate finance works for all
  A new finance goal, the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG), was being decided at COP29 abut it didn’t meet the needs of developing countries and their vulnerable communities.
• Better finance for affected communities
  Decisions at the summit needed to ensure climate finance was accessible as well as affordable. We needed more grants and concessional loans so that communities are able to adapt and fund the losses and damages that they are suffering.
• The transition to clean energy advanced
  We needed more people to be able to harness the transformational effects of clean affordable energy. Involving boosted mitigation efforts and access for hard-to-reach communities.
• Strong and tailored country plans
  The 2024 climate summit needed to act as a valuable space for governments to review their national climate plans (Nationally Determined Contributions). These needed to include greater efforts to ensure that communities on the frontline are safeguarded and received the proper support they needed.
• Solutions that work for people and nature
  Nature, together with people’s lives and livelihoods should have been at the heart of solutions. This should have involved inclusivity and supporting of the most vulnerable and marginalised communities, meaning they could take ownership of solutions and adapt to their changing environment.

Practical Action events we went to at COP29

Last push for an ambitious and equitable NCQG meeting developing country needs
Thursday 14th November 15.00 – 16.30 AZT
Side event 1

With little time left to reach agreement, this event looked at the steps to achieve an ambitious, equitable and fit-for-purpose NCQG: ensuring public grant-based finance is the bulk of the goal, firmly based on the principles of equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC), to truly meet developing countries’ needs.

Reducing methane as a relevant lever for achieving the objectives of the Paris agreements
Thursday 14th November 11:30 – 13:30 AZT
Senegal Pavilion

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas responsible for significant global warming. Reducing emissions will also improve air quality and public health and foster sustainable development. This side event highlighted global initiatives from diverse sectors. By addressing methane, countries can accelerate their progress toward the Paris Agreement’s targets, leveraging methane reduction as a high-impact, cross-sectoral tool for both environmental and economic resilience.

Deliberative democracy and reform: exploring how youth input can transform climate governance
Friday 15th November 10:00 – 11:30 AZT
Blue zone, Share Hub pavilion

This event discussed the need to include young people in decision-making processes at both the design and implementation stages of NDCs. The panel discussed how these challenges should be met so that youth-led initiatives can support long-term climate goals and ensure that NDCs capture diverse perspectives and are equitable and inclusive in their approach.

Closing the finance gap: adaptation finance flows and connections with L&D to the local level
Friday 15th November 18:30 – 20:00 AZT
Side event 3

Sustainable, locally led approaches are the best way to address complex issues that the climate crisis is wreaking. Funding at the local level is critical. But there’s a very large gap between adaptation needs and adaptation financing.

To try and address this, we joined with colleagues at International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies IFRC, CARE and the Centre for 21st Century Issues (C21st) – a Nigerian Civil Society Organisation – to discuss ways we can close the finance gap and ensure that adaptation finance and Loss and Damage funding is measured effectively and crucially, is accessible to affected communities who need it most.

Investing in Impact: Financing transformative action to end open burning of waste
Wednesday 20th Nov, 10:30 – 12:00 AZT
Waste and Resources Pavilion

Despite its catastrophic impact, open waste burning is neglected by funders, governments and communities, who lack the tools and capacities to take action.

We want to change that. At COP29, we got together with our partners – Engineering X, ISWA, IGES, and UN-Habitat – who are working with us to develop regional roadmaps for Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Accelerating Climate Action in Mountain and Beyond
Wednesday 20th Nov, 12.00 – 13.30 AZT
UN Global Compact Pavilion

Together with the Youth Alliance for Environment (YAE) and other associated partners we underscored the urgency of collaborative and inclusive approaches to address climate change, particularly in fragile mountain ecosystems that face disproportionate impacts.

Discussions included: Mountain ecosystems’ role in climate resilience, Strategies for climate adaptation in vulnerable regions, Global carbon market opportunities and challenges, and strengthening alliances for climate advocacy and action.