World Leaders at COP29

At COP29, world leaders representing CVF member countries expressed their expectations from the COP and voiced concern for the vulnerabilities their countries face. Hear from the leaders: 

	Head of State	Country	Quote
1	H.E. Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados	Barbados	“We are in the midst of a climate crisis. We are in a season of superlatives. And the reality is that these extreme weather events that the world is facing daily suggest that humanity and the planet are hurtling towards catastrophe. The extreme weather requires from us a serious commitment from this COP with respect to New Collective Quantified Goals that enable us to reverse the current trajectory and to find mitigation, adaptation and loss and damage.”
2	H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana	Ghana	“For Ghana, climate change is real and immediate, affecting our farmers, coastlines and communities. Rising temperatures and unpredictable weather threaten our lives daily.”
3	H.E. Muhammad Yunus, Interim Leader of Bangladesh	Bangladesh	“Why should there be a negotiation? You are causing the problem, then you solve it. We will raise our voice and tell them it’s your fault, like what we did with colonialism.”
4	H.E. Hilda Heine, President of the Marshall Islands	Marshall Islands	“Our forebears map the tides with sticks, coconut fronds and shells. It is in our blood to know when a tide is turning. And on climate, the tide is turning today. Time will judge those that fail to make the transition.”
5	H.E. Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan	Pakistan	“In order to spur some transparency and coordination into the financial commitments made to developing countries under climate transfers, Pakistan, alongside many other developing countries, calls for stronger, more equitable climate finance mechanisms under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.”
6	H.E. Feleti Teo, Prime Minister of Tuvalu	Tuvalu	“As the finance COP we must conclude on the NCQG on finance to ensure it delivers the necessary finance to support developing countries meet ambitious mitigation and adaptation goals.”
7	H.E. Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni, Prime Minister of Tonga	Tonga	“Tonga has a negligible contribution to greenhouse gasses, but we are steadfast in our commitment to implementing the necessary climate action and targets.”
8	H.E. Dickon Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada	Grenada	“The partnership we are asking for, the partnership to finance climate resilience, is a partnership that works in the best interest of the planet and all of mankind. “
9	H.E. Aziz Akhannouch, Prime Minister of Morocco	Morocco	“Renewable energy in Morocco accounts for 40% of electric production capacity. A figure that will rise to 52% by 2030.”
10	H.E. ​​Russell Dlamini, Prime Minister of Eswatini	Eswatini	“After 30 years, the question is, are we failing? We must seize what may be our last opportunity.”
11	H.E. Judith Suminwa Tuluka, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo	Democratic Republic of Congo	“Climate change is accelerating, challenging our projections and adaptation capacity. The key lies in collective action which must be bold and underpinned by the principles of justice, equity and solidarity.”
12	H.E. Sadyr Japarov, President of Kyrgyzstan	Kyrgyzstan	“We have initiated a mechanism for exchanging external debt for climate and sustainable development projects. We propose restructuring of the country’s external public debt by applying the debt exchange mechanisms for green projects.”
13	H.E. Mohamed Muizzu, President of the Maldives	Maldives	“Our story is not of fragility, it is a testament to resilience, leadership and international cooperation. For us, the environment and the ocean are more than resources, they are our cultural identity and their protection remains our duty.”
14	H.E. Faure Gnassingbé, President of Togo	Togo	“We are here to recall a simple truth: Climate promises are no longer enough. Every year the urgency becomes greater and every year, we are approaching the point of no return. Our actions have to reflect the urgency.”
15	H.E. Ram Chandra Poudel, President of Nepal	Nepal	“Climate justice, climate finance and putting reparations for loss and damage are my paramount concerns together. We are reeling from recent climate related disasters that cost devastations worth tens of millions. Recovery and rebuilding presents a serious challenge.”
16	H.E. Chan Santokhi, President of Suriname	Suriname	“CARICOM states lack the financial capacity and resources to recover from escalating climate impacts and outdated GDP data keep concessional financing out of reach.”
17	H.E. Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh, President of Mongolia	Mongolia	“We need to strengthen our political leadership, collective efforts and activities. The United Nations continues to warn us that the chances to meet the commitments under the Paris Agreement is gradually diminishing.”
18	H.E. Taye Atske Selassie, President of Ethiopia	Ethiopia	“While we demand increased financial support we express deep concern over the inadequate, complex and delayed disbursement of existing funds.”
19	H.E. Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, President of Mozambique	Mozambique	“COP 29 must produce ambitious, balanced, fair and equitable results that put the world on a course to effectively address climate change in several fronts, including: adaptation, loss and damage, financing and mitigation.”
20	HRH Crown Prince, Al Hussein bin Abdullah II	Jordan	“In my country, we are implementing climate policies while grappling with the impacts of conflict, yet we cannot solve these twinned crises alone.”
21	H.E. Abdel-Fattah AlBurhan Abdelrahman Al-Burhan, President of Sudan	Sudan	“The government of Sudan has established a whole number of policies and plans to reduce the dependency on fossil fuels. Making sustainable development fundable is something which is vital for donor countries to help with, for developing countries to meet their targets.”