UN chiefs ask G20 leaders to revive stalled climate talks

United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has appealed to a group of 20 most developed countries to ensure resumption of stalled climate talks at the ongoing UN climate conference in Baku. He said a successful outcome at COP29 was still within reach, but only with leadership from the world’s most powerful countries.

The G20 leaders are convening in Rio, Brazil for their meeting. Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu, and some key ministers are also in attendance. Representatives of nations at the forum hope that compromise from the G20 will break the impasse on financing and donor responsibilities.

The UN Chief, who is also attending the summit of the world’s biggest economies, spoke at a press conference in Rio.The yearly UN talks in Baku are deadlocked, with nations not close to agreeing on a $1 trillion deal for climate investments in developing nations after a week of negotiations.

The talks are stuck over the final figure, the type of financing, and who should pay, with Western countries wanting China and wealthy Gulf States to join the list of donors, but all eyes have turned to Rio in the hope for a turnaround.He said: “The spotlight is naturally on the G20. They account for 80 per cent of global emissions, calling on the group to lead by example.”

With about two months to end his tenure, United States President, Joe Biden, has made a stopover in the Amazon forest, where he also spoke about $11 billion in bilateral climate financing his administration had allocated in 2024.

Also, UN climate body chief, Simon Stiell, appealed to G-20 summit to make the climate crisis “order of business number one” as negotiations on a new climate finance goal continues at the UN Cop 29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan.

“Stepping it up on climate finance globally requires action both inside our Cop process and outside of it,” Stiell said, and the G20’s role is “mission critical”.

He called on G20 leaders meeting in Rio de Janeiro, to ensure the availability of more grant and concessional finance, make progress on debt relief, and push for additional multilateral development bank reforms.