NICARAGUA IN COP 29
NATIONAL STATEMENT
Comrade Alba Azucena Torres Mejía
Minister Adviser to the President of the Republic for International Policies and Affairs, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Nicaragua to the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Mr. President,
1. Our delegation has the honor to convey warm and fraternal greetings from the President of the Republic of Nicaragua, Comandante Daniel Ortega Saavedra, and Vice-President Comrade Rosario Murillo Zambrana, to all the countries here present, and especially to the People and Government of Azerbaijan for their hospitality during this COP-29 in Baku.
2. Nicaragua recognizes the hard work of the Troika, integrated by the successive presidencies of COP-28 in Dubai, COP-29 in Baku and COP-30 in Belém do Pará, and the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for organizing this important COP-29 event, in such a way that it allows the evaluation of the agenda in all its dimensions and perspectives towards COP-30 to be held in Belém do Pará, Brazil.
3. As an integral part of G77+China, the Like Minded Developing Countries (LMDC) and ALBA, we join the Declarations of these Groups, and we wish to express our national statement in our national capacity.
Mr. President,
4. Developing countries continue to work in order to promote timely climate action in accordance with achieving the sustainable development goals in the midst of multiple economic, environmental and social crises, along with other emerging challenges that arise every day. Therefore, the climate crisis we face demands a greater, more collective, firmer, fairer and more ambitious commitment, but within the framework of the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities.
5. At this COP-29, Nicaragua reaffirms its commitment to facilitate a respectful and equitable dialogue between the world’s majority, which is increasingly independent, and between the developed nations that have demonstrated a lack of serious and concrete commitment to achieve the climate objectives.
6. We firmly express our support and solidarity with the Palestinian people and reaffirm that the Palestinian cause is alive and present in all international forums and in the global conscience. Nicaragua reaffirms the justice of the Palestinian cause and the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to establish their State in all occupied territories. We also reaffirm that the Palestinian resistance movements are national liberation movements.
Mr. President,
7. The ravages of climate change continue to worsen. Global warming is on track to exceed 1.5˚C. However, Nicaragua is not responsible for climate change; we only emit 0.06% of the total greenhouse gases. Nevertheless, we suffer harsh impacts from extreme hydrometeorological phenomena, which affects the livelihoods and economy of our people, leaving us with losses and damages equivalent to 8% of our GDP, between US$2 and 4 billion dollars annually, with catastrophic consequences on our people, especially the poorest.
8. As expressed by our Vice-President of the Republic, Comrade Rosario Murillo Zambrana, “what they call climate change is no longer so, it is the destroyed land, it is our Mother Earth, stripped of its protective and natural elements, is the plundering, the desire to take everything in exchange for nothing, and we leave the consequences, that is what produces these phenomena, and what we call climate change.”
9. Science supports it, there is no doubt that the root of the climate crisis is the responsibility of the large capitalist economies, mainly Western powers that apply and expand destructive models of Production and Consumption, causing and expanding the “Climate Crisis.” Climate Change is already history, now it is a Climate Crisis, it is also a Planetary Crisis and a Crisis of Values due to the lack of faith in God.
10. It is imperative that developed countries, mainly those in the Global North, comply with the goal of reducing emissions by 50% by 2030 based on their historical responsibilities in the genesis of the problem.
According to the Sixth Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), approved in 2023, there are 3 billion people threatened by the climate crisis, particularly in regions such as Central America, island countries and Africa, due to carbon dioxide concentrations that are at their highest levels ever seen in the last 2000 years.
Mr. President,
11. Concrete results are urgently needed at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP29), based on the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities, and the strengthening of Climate Justice and the indispensable Reparation Policy, transformed into direct, unconditional and respectful cooperation, aimed at achieving a new quantitative global goal that allows financing for the most vulnerable countries in a real way, in order to fight the climate crisis.
12. We urge that the financial resources for official assistance promised by developed countries be materialized according to historical responsibilities; and that sufficient resources for climate action for adaptation, mitigation, Loss and Damage, capacity building, technology transfer, conservation and sustainability actions be provided in the face of climate change reflected in their NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions) and to avoid the commercialization of Mother Earth.
13. We have surpassed 6 of the 9 planetary limits, in particular pollution, loss of forests and biodiversity, unprecedented increase in emissions and ocean acidification. In this sense, adaptation and mitigation are insufficient to face the impacts of the climate crisis. It is urgent to capitalize and operationalize the compensation mechanism for Loss and Damage.
14. South-South Cooperation and Triangular Cooperation are necessary tools, since they contribute to the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and preparation for climate action; affirming that these modalities constitute a complement and not a substitute for North-South Cooperation, which must be guided by the principles of solidarity, joint participation, consensus, equity, mutual responsibility, reciprocity, non-interference and non-conditionality.
15. We must move towards a new global order and a multipolar world with equitable, supportive and transparent actions and agreements, rebuilding the trust of multilateralism through inclusion, and continuing to work to strengthen and guarantee peace and security at a global level.
16. Finally, Nicaragua is convinced that the presence of the entire International Community, without exclusions, at this COP-29 is vital to achieve a world of Understanding, Peace, Justice, Solidarity and Development and that climate action must be centered on the peoples, prioritizing adaptation, resilience and the well-being of the most sensitive communities. It is time to move from promises to concrete actions.
Thank you very much, Mr. President.