OCHA at COP29

A woman stands behind a young boy wrapped in a soaked towel in l-Hamra camp in North-West Syria’s Idleb.
Five-year-old Moaz Al-Hammoud is wrapped in a wet towel to help him cope with the scorching heat in Syria. Moaz lives with his family in the Al-Hamra camp in North-West Syria’s Idleb. Photo: OCHA/Bilal Al-Hammoud

2024 is set to be the hottest year in recorded human history steaming past 2023, the previous record holder. The world’s three hottest days were recorded in July 2024 - the hottest month in history and the 12th in a row when the global temperature rose above 1.5°C - the mean warming target set by the Paris Agreement. 

Between June 2023 and April 2024, 76 extreme heatwaves were recorded in 90 countries. During that period, 6.3 billion people (about 78 per cent of the global population) experienced at least 31 days of extreme heat. 

Global heating fueled extreme weather events around the world, including brutal heatwaves that killed people in the Middle East and Asia, extreme rains in Nepal, East Africa, Bangladeshthe Middle East and Brazil and the earliest and the strongest ever storm in the Atlantic - Hurricane Beryl. Record-breaking storms in Asia such as Typhoon Yagi, Viet Nam’s strongest in 30 years, pounded some of the most vulnerable people. 

A woman wearing a UN vest surveys destroyed buildings in an open ground
UN staff member Almudena Montoliú García surveys the destruction caused by Hurricane Beryl in July 2024 in Union Island, which is a part of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Photo: OCHA/Randy Warner

Amid such climate chaos, COP29 will be held from 11 to 22 November 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan. OCHA along with the COP29 presidency and other partners aims to use its presence at COP 29 to ensure the voices of people caught up in climate crises are heard.

For a second year in a row, OCHA will be hosting the Humanitarian Hub with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee. The Hub will not only provide an opportunity to all humanitarian partners to amplify the voice of people affected by the climate crisis but a platform to advocate for solutions and discuss the way forward.

OCHA has been contributing towards addressing climate crisis-related extreme weather events through its funds such as Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and Country-Based Pooled Funds. 

Since 2006, CERF has disbursed about $2.5 billion for response and anticipatory action to climate-related emergencies (including droughts, floods, heatwaves, cold waves and storms). This corresponds to around a quarter of its overall spending.

 So far, this year, CERF has allocated more than $118 million for response and anticipatory action to climate-related emergencies, supporting over 6 million people across 22 countries. This represents nearly a third of its total spending so far in 2024.

Humanitarian Hub at COP29

Humanitarian Hub @ COP29

OCHA is bringing the humanitarian community together to amplify the voice of the most vulnerable people collectively.

The Hub will be officially opened on 18 November at 9:00am AZT.

Visit the Humanitarian Hub page

What to expect from COP29

Climate finance is not reaching people in crisis contexts at anywhere near the scale or speed that is necessary. 

As COP29 kicks in Baku, Azerbaijan, here's why it's important for OCHA and the humanitarian community to be part of the conversations as explained by OCHA’s Climate Science and Practice Lead, Zinta Zommers.

Resources

World + 2 more

News and Press Release

CERF at the Forefront of Anticipatory Action

Beyond ensuring swift and strategic funding in response to sudden onset, escalating and protracted crises, the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) is also a leading global humanitarian funding...

World

News and Press Release

2024 CERF-Funded Climate Action (January-October)

CERF has become a leading global humanitarian funding tool for response and anticipatory action for climate-related hazards, such as droughts, floods and storms. CERF stands out for its efficient and...