A senior official on the COP29 local weather change convention in Azerbaijan seems to have used his function to rearrange a gathering to debate potential fossil gasoline offers, the BBC can report.
A secret recording reveals the chief government of Azerbaijan’s COP29 crew, Elnur Soltanov, discussing “funding alternatives” within the state oil and gasoline firm with a person posing as a possible investor.
“Now we have a variety of gasoline fields that need to be developed,” he says.
The previous head of the UN physique accountable for local weather talks advised the BBC that Soltanov’s actions had been “completely unacceptable” and a “betrayal” of the COP course of.
Along with being the chief government of COP29, Soltanov can also be Azerbaijan’s Deputy Minister of Power and is on the board of SOCR.
Azerbaijan’s COP29 crew has not responded to a request for remark.
In accordance with US statistics, oil and gasoline account for nearly half of Azerbaijan’s whole economic system and greater than 90% of its exports.
COP29 opens in Baku on Monday and is the twenty ninth annual UN local weather summit, the place governments talk about the right way to restrict and put together for local weather change, and lift world ambitions to deal with the difficulty.
Nevertheless, that is the second 12 months in a row that the BBC has revealed the alleged wrongdoings by the host authorities.
The BBC has been proven paperwork and secret video recordings made by the human rights group International Witness.
It’s understood one in all its representatives approached the COP29 crew posing as the top of a fictitious Hong Kong funding agency specializing in power.
He mentioned the corporate was thinking about sponsoring the COP29 summit however in return wished to debate funding alternatives in Sokar, Azerbaijan’s state power agency. An internet assembly with Soltanov was organized.
Getty PhotographsIn the course of the assembly, Soltanov advised the potential sponsor that the aim of the convention was to “deal with the local weather disaster” and “a simply, orderly and equitable transition away from hydrocarbons”.
Anybody, he mentioned, together with oil and gasoline corporations, “can provide you with an answer” as a result of Azerbaijan’s “doorways are open”.
Nevertheless, he mentioned he was open to discussing offers – together with oil and gasoline.
Initially, Soltanov instructed that the potential sponsor could be thinking about investing in some “inexperienced transition tasks”, together with Sokar – however then he associated Azerbaijan’s plans to extend gasoline manufacturing, together with new pipeline infrastructure. Talked about alternatives.
“There are lots of joint ventures that may be established,” Soltanov says on the recording. “Soccer is buying and selling oil and gasoline all around the world, together with Asia.”
Soltanov then described pure gasoline as a “short-term gasoline,” saying, “We could have a certain quantity of oil and pure gasoline produced, most likely without end.”
The UN’s local weather science physique, the Intergovernmental Panel on Local weather Change, believes that oil and gasoline could have some function by 2050 and past. Nevertheless, it has turn into abundantly clear that “growth…shouldn’t be appropriate with limiting new oil and gasoline fields to 1.5°C”.
It additionally goes towards the settlement the world made on the final world local weather summit to maneuver away from fossil fuels.
Soltanov appeared eager to assist push the discussions ahead, telling the potential sponsor: “I’d be comfortable to make a contact between your crew and their crew (Socar) to allow them to begin discussions.”
Just a few weeks later the bogus Hong Kong funding firm acquired an e mail – Socker wished to comply with up on the lead.
Making an attempt to do enterprise offers as a part of the COP course of seems to be a critical breach of the requirements of conduct anticipated of a COP official.
These occasions are imagined to be about lowering the world’s use of fossil fuels — the principle driver of local weather change — not promoting extra.
The requirements are set by the United Nations Framework Conference on Local weather Change (UNFCCC), the United Nations physique accountable for local weather negotiations.
The UN mentioned it couldn’t remark instantly on our findings however famous that the “similar strict requirements” apply to anybody internet hosting the convention, and that these requirements embody “the impartiality of all presiding officers. point out the significance of
Its code of conduct for COP officers states that they’re anticipated to “act with out partiality, partiality, partiality, favoritism, self-interest, choice or deference, strictly based mostly on sound, impartial and neutral judgement.” .
“They’re additionally anticipated to make sure that private views and beliefs don’t compromise or compromise their function and features as UNFCCC officers.”
Getty PhotographsCristiana Figueres, who oversaw the signing of the 2015 Paris Settlement to restrict world warming to lower than 2C, advised the BBC she was stunned that anybody within the COP course of would assault oil and gasoline offers. will use its place for
He mentioned such conduct was “opposite and egregious” to the COP’s goal and “a betrayal” to the method.
The BBC has additionally seen emails between the COP29 crew and fictitious buyers.
In a single sequence, the crew mentioned a $600,000 (£462,000) sponsorship cope with a fictitious firm in trade for Soccer’s introduction and involvement in an occasion about “sustainable oil and gasoline funding” throughout COP29.
Officers provided 5 passes with full entry to the summit and drafted a contract that originally required the agency to make sure commitments to sustainability. Then it was pushed again, one requirement was dropped and “enhancements” had been thought of in one other.
The BBC has approached Azerbaijan’s COP29 crew and soccer for remark. Neither responded to the requests.
The invention comes a 12 months after paperwork leaked by the BBC revealed plans by the UAE to make use of its function as host of COP28 to kill oil and gasoline offers.
COP28 was the primary time settlement was reached on the necessity to transition away from fossil fuels.
