“The Government of Georgia is dedicated to fulfilling its national commitments by taking concrete actions to implement the Paris Agreement,” said Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze at the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan.

According to the PM, Georgia is committed to submitting its third-generation Nationally Determined Contributions by 2025, consistent with the aim of limiting global warming to within the 1.5 Degrees Celsius limit and advancing the vision of Europe as the first continent to achieve net-zero emissions.

“In preparing the new NDC, the Government of Georgia is actively engaging key stakeholders by embracing an inclusive, whole-of-society approach. Regrettably, due to the ongoing illegal occupation of Georgia’s Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions, the Government is prevented from the possibility to implement similar measures in the mentioned regions, which consist of 20% of Georgia’s territories with the aim to reduce harmful impacts of climate change and mitigate its implications. The outcome of the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance will determine whether COP29 is viewed as a success. The NCQG must see a significant increase from the current $100 billion US Dollars target, and stimulate the alignment of global financial flows with the goals of the Paris Agreement.

In that context, it is worth recalling that at COP28 it was acknowledged that developing countries would need close to $6 trillion US dollars by the end of this decade to effectively address climate change. COP29 must also improve access to climate finance for developing countries, and build capacity so that these countries can effectively utilize increased climate finance,” he said.