Promoting Human Rights in Climate Action: Report from the Baku Climate Conference COP29

The Center for International Environmental Law reports that COP29 failed to deliver on climate ambition, human rights, and finance. Key failures include an insufficient New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) of 300 billion USD, the operationalization of carbon markets without strong human rights safeguards, and a lack of agreement on the Just Transition Work Programme. The report also highlights the restrictive civic space in Azerbaijan and the continued underfunding of the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage.

• COP29 is characterized as an overall failure regarding ambition, human rights, and the phaseout of fossil fuels, with the report noting a "lack of progress and several steps backwards". The document highlights the removal of almost all references to the "right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment" from decision texts and a failure to follow up on the Global Stocktake's decision to transition away from fossil fuels.
• The New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance was set at 300 billion USD by 2035, which the report describes as an "epic fail" because it is far below the 1.3 trillion USD requested by developing countries. The report notes that the goal lacks guarantees for public grants, excludes loss and damage, and saw the deletion of a paragraph requiring finance to be gender-responsive and respect human rights.
• The conference operationalized Paris Agreement carbon markets under Articles 6.2 and 6.4, which the report argues enable polluting industries to continue fossil fuel use via offsets. It criticizes the adoption of methodological standards for the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM) as "procedurally flawed" and warns that Article 6.2 rules on Internationally Transferable Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs) are weak on transparency and human rights violations.
• Funding for loss and damage remains critically low, with the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) having only 750 million USD pledged in total, including 57.5 million USD in new pledges from Australia, New Zealand, and Sweden. This is contrasted with estimated needs of at least 400 billion USD per year for developing countries.
• The report describes a restrictive civic space in Azerbaijan, noting the host government's "detrimental human rights record" and the detention of activists like Anar Mammadli. It also criticizes the UNFCCC Secretariat for restricting demonstrations within the COP venue and refusing to make the host country agreement publicly available.
• Progress on gender and just transition was limited. The Lima Work Programme on Gender was extended to 10 years, but the report claims it fails to address systemic barriers and omits protections against gender-based violence and mentions of Women Environmental Human Rights Defenders (WEHRD). The Just Transition Work Programme (JTWP) ended in "Rule 16," meaning no agreement or outcome was reached at COP29.
• Regarding adaptation, the COP29 decision established the Baku Adaptation Road Map and included indicators for social inclusion and human rights, though the report notes these are not framed as "fundamental requirements". Guidance on tracking the means of implementation for adaptation was deferred to COP30.

APA

Vandamme, L., Pollera, C., & Lennon, E. (2024). Promoting Human Rights in Climate Action: Report from the Baku Climate Conference COP29. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/CIEL_Promoting-Human-Rights-in-Climate-Action-Report-from-the-Baku-Climate-Conference-COP29.pdf

Chicago

Vandamme, Lien, Camilla Pollera, and Erika Lennon. Promoting Human Rights in Climate Action: Report from the Baku Climate Conference COP29. Center for International Environmental Law, 2024. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/CIEL_Promoting-Human-Rights-in-Climate-Action-Report-from-the-Baku-Climate-Conference-COP29.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Vandamme |first1=Lien |last2=Pollera |first2=Camilla |last3=Lennon |first3=Erika |title=Promoting Human Rights in Climate Action: Report from the Baku Climate Conference COP29 |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=December 2024 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/CIEL_Promoting-Human-Rights-in-Climate-Action-Report-from-the-Baku-Climate-Conference-COP29.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{vandamme2024promoting, author = {Vandamme, Lien and Pollera, Camilla and Lennon, Erika}, title = {{Promoting Human Rights in Climate Action: Report from the Baku Climate Conference COP29}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2024}, month = dec, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/CIEL_Promoting-Human-Rights-in-Climate-Action-Report-from-the-Baku-Climate-Conference-COP29.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }