Climate: Armenia bids to host COP34 in 2029
- Published
- Place
- Antalya, Türkiye
- Event date
- Past event —
Summary
Armenia wants to host the UN’s flagship climate conference in 2029. Environment Minister Hambardzum Matevosyan presented the country’s bid for COP34 at a meeting with Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, on the sidelines of COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye. He announced it on Facebook on Friday, 13 November. His main argument: COP17 on biodiversity, held in Yerevan from 18 to 31 October under Armenia’s presidency. The minister also spoke up for mountain countries, which are highly exposed to global warming. The next step will play out within the UN’s Eastern European Group, which also includes Azerbaijan, host of COP29 in 2024.
A bid presented in Antalya
The meeting took place on the sidelines of COP31, the climate conference Türkiye is hosting in Antalya this month. Speaking to Simon Stiell, head of UN Climate Change, Hambardzum Matevosyan presented “Armenia’s candidacy and readiness to host COP34 in 2029”.
The minister described the exchange in a Facebook post, picked up by the state news agency Armenpress, Public Radio of Armenia and several other Armenian outlets. He said he had also discussed “the next steps” of the process, without giving a timetable.
The Yerevan COP17 argument
Yerevan is relying on very recent experience. From 18 to 31 October, the capital hosted COP17, the UN biodiversity conference and a sister event to the climate COP, at the Meridian centre. Nearly 200 countries adopted texts there to slow the loss of species. Hambardzum Matevosyan chaired it.
“I touched upon the outcomes of COP17, and the experience and successes gained in organising the conference and conducting multilateral negotiations,” he wrote. In his view, hosting COP34 would also be “an opportunity to contribute to global climate action”.
Mountain countries at the heart of the message
The minister stressed the need to honour commitments to cut emissions, adapt to warming and pay for these efforts. He highlighted “the vulnerability and adaptation needs of mountainous countries”. Droughts, shrinking glaciers, landslides: Armenia, most of whose territory lies at high altitude, feels directly concerned.
He said Armenia was ready for “open and constructive” cooperation with the Convention secretariat and the countries of the Eastern European Group. That UN regional group is where the bid will be decided. It has 23 member states, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine and Poland.
Analysis
For now, the announcement is mainly a signal. There are three years to go, and nothing suggests Armenia will be the only contender. The real test will be diplomatic: such choices are usually made by consensus within the regional group. That means securing the agreement, or at least the abstention, of neighbours such as Azerbaijan and Russia. One precedent matters: in December 2023, Yerevan withdrew its COP29 bid to make way for Baku, as part of a prisoner exchange. Whether Baku returns the favour will be closely watched.
Possible consequences
The bid now has to be championed among the countries of the Eastern European Group. The final decision rests with the Conference of the Parties to the UN climate convention.
