The fourth day of the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Baku at the Arctic Pavilion began with a session on addressing the interconnected challenges of conserving Arctic biodiversity, promoting social equity and ensuring sustainable development. 

Showcasing community-driven solutions and innovative approaches, they aim to inspire global action to protect the Arctic and empower indigenous and vulnerable communities. The session was organized by ISHAKA 2250, a non-profit youth organization that works to promote Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) education in Burundi and take action to empower youth in achieving the SDGs, highlighting the importance of young people in the development of society and the country as a whole. 

The multifaceted international agenda, including climate change, green economy and energy transition, requires a high level of knowledge and capacity from all actors involved. The session, organized by the Union of Indigenous Peoples “Soyuz” together with the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs, discussed ways to reduce the imbalance in capacity and how governments, academia, business and international organizations can help indigenous peoples build their capacity to become even more influential players at COP summits and other international forums. Specific examples of indigenous-led programs from the UN, Russia and around the world were discussed.

The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) presented an updated report on climate change in the Arctic. Executive Secretary Rolf Rødven, his deputies Maria Kvalevåg and Heïdi Sevestre described the much faster rate of warming in the Arctic, the increasing acidity of the seas and the frequency of catastrophic events (floods, fires). Instead of the expected 1.5 degrees, the annual increase in Arctic air temperature is 3 degrees. The second part of the session - on the involvement of Arctic Council observers in AMAP activities - was asked to be moderated by Vladimir Vasiliev, Executive Director of the Northern Forum. The conversation about the forms and mechanisms of work turned out to be very lively. The Northern Forum could assist AMAP in organizing research in the Russian Arctic, organizing joint events in different parts of the world. The parties agreed that it is necessary to go to the next COP in Brazil together and create a fully Arctic Pavilion with the participation of the Arctic Council and Arctic organizations.

On November 11-22, the Northern Forum is hosting the first-of-its-kind Arctic Pavilion at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan. The general partner of the Arctic Pavilion is the Melnichenko Foundation, the youth partner is the BRICS Youth Energy Agency. More info: https://arcticpavilion-cop.org

Watch live-streaming of all sessions on the Northern Forum Youtube channel.