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

The report argues that COP29 failed to advance human rights-based climate action, citing a weak new climate finance goal, the operationalization of flawed carbon markets, and a restrictive civic environment in the host country. It highlights the removal of references to the right to a healthy environment and the lack of progress on just transition and gender justice, calling for stronger legal obligations and human rights safeguards in future UNFCCC processes.

• The report characterizes COP29 as a failure in terms of ambition and human rights, noting a lack of progress on fossil fuel phaseout and the removal of nearly all references to the "right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment" from decision texts.
• The New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance is criticized as insufficient, setting a goal of 300 billion USD by 2035, which is far below the 1.3 trillion USD requested by developing countries. The report notes the absence of human rights safeguards and the deletion of a paragraph ensuring finance would be "gender-responsive" and respect human rights.
• The adoption of rules for Article 6.2 and 6.4 carbon markets is viewed as a negative development, as these mechanisms may allow polluting industries to continue fossil fuel use via offsets. The report highlights gaps regarding the rights of Indigenous Peoples and land rights, and warns that Article 6.2 lacks transparency to prevent human rights violations.
• Funding for the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) remains inadequate, with only 750 million USD pledged in total and an additional 57.5 million USD pledged at COP29 by Australia, New Zealand, and Sweden. This is contrasted with estimated needs of at least 400 billion USD per year.
• The report describes a restrictive civic space in Azerbaijan, the host country, citing the detention of human rights defender Anar Mammadli and the presence of over 300 political prisoners. It also criticizes the UNFCCC Secretariat for restricting demonstrations and refusing to publish host country agreements.
• Progress on gender justice and just transition was limited; the Lima Work Programme on Gender was extended but failed to address systemic barriers or protect Women Environmental Human Rights Defenders (WEHRD). The Just Transition Work Programme (JTWP) ended without an agreement or guidance for 2025.
• The report identifies 2025 as a critical year for human rights in climate action, emphasizing the need for new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to be human rights-based and the potential impact of upcoming advisory opinions from the International Court of Justice and the Inter-American Court on Human Rights.

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} }