Barzani at COP will hold meetings and discussions focused on reiterating his commitment to a “greener and cleaner Kurdistan,” according to Rudaw’s reporter in Baku. Water and environmental issues will top his agenda for the summit.
He received his invitation to attend COP29 in July during a meeting between Azerbaijani Ambassador to Iraq Nasir Mammadov and Fawzi Hariri, the Kurdistan Region Presidency’s chief of staff.
COP29 will bring together 198 countries in Baku from November 11 to 22. More than 200 leaders and prime ministers are expected to attend the summit this year, in addition to over 1,600 representatives of international organizations.
President Barzani met with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev on his visit to Baku in July 2023, when the two leaders addressed developments in the establishment of the Azerbaijani consulate in Erbil, as well as launching Baku-Erbil and Baku-Baghdad direct flights.
In 2023, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, President Barzani, and Prime Minister Masrour Barzani all attended the COP28 in Dubai, leading separate delegations. President Barzani encouraged global efforts to combat climate change.
Iraq is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, including water and food insecurity, according to the UN. It is facing a severe water shortage because of reduced precipitation, higher temperatures, and waste and mismanagement.
The UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released its provisional State of the Global Climate report saying 2023 had “shattered” climate records and warned of the accompanying “trail of devastation and despair” that would be left behind.
In December 2022, the World Bank estimated that Iraq needs around $233 billion worth of investments by 2040 to respond to the effects of climate change.
