The MGIMO GOES GREEN environmental student forum is taking place at MGIMO. It is timed to coincide with the COP29 Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Climate Change, which starts in Baku on November 11. On the sidelines of the forum, Vestnik Kavkaza spoke with Sergey Kononuchenko, the Russian Ambassador at Large, about the importance of COP29 for the global climate agenda.
- Sergey Borisovich, how important is COP-29 for combating climate change, and what are your expectations for the conference in Baku?
- The Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Climate Change is very important, and this is not a formal assessment. I am involved in this process. This year, all parties to the Convention are expected to work out a decision on the most important issue related to increasing the volume of funding for efforts to combat climate change. This is one of the fundamental and basic issues on the COP29 agenda.
The amount of funding agreed upon at the Conference of the Parties to the Convention in Baku will determine how successful the fight against climate change will be in the coming years and even decades.
- What attention does the Russian Foreign Ministry pay to environmental initiatives and the green economy?
- As an agency coordinating the state's foreign policy activities, we are actively engaged in the field of environmental protection and the fight against climate change. The Foreign Ministry is working to coordinate positions on the environmental agenda both within the country and on the international stage.
The Foreign Ministry staff takes part not only in direct negotiations at multilateral venues through the UN but also in other formats related to negotiations on this issue, including BRICS, APEC, the G20 and regional commissions.
- How would you assess MGIMO's student model of COP29?
- It is a wonderful event. It is a pleasure to take part in such innovative, I would say, events, since it is clear that the younger generation is very interested in deepening their knowledge on such an important environmental topic as combating climate change.
It is pleasant that there are so many participants, and not only from MGIMO itself, but also from other universities, including students from other cities of the Russian Federation.
