**COP 29: The 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Baku**

The 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP 29, is currently underway in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11 to 22, 2024. This critical global event brings together over 40,000 delegates, including government representatives, diplomats, UN officials, journalists, climate scientists, and activists from around the world[1][5].

**Key Focus: Climate Finance**

COP 29 is often referred to as "the finance COP" due to its emphasis on scaling up climate finance. The conference aims to increase funding to help lower-income countries transition to zero-carbon economies and adapt to the effects of climate change. High-income countries, historically responsible for climate change, are expected to contribute significantly to this funding[5].

**Controversy Surrounding Azerbaijan's Hosting**

The choice of Azerbaijan as the host country has been controversial due to its major role in fossil fuel exports and authoritarian government. The conference venue, the Sea Breeze complex in Baku, is owned by Emin Agalarov, the former son-in-law of Azerbaijan's president, Ilham Aliyev[1].

**Critical Objectives**

Key objectives of COP 29 include setting a new climate finance goal, fully activating the Loss and Damage fund, and supporting vulnerable communities. Discussions also focus on updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and finalizing guidelines for carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement[1][4].

**Health and Climate Change**

The international health and climate community is calling for ambitious climate action to protect human health. Recommendations include defining mechanisms for follow-up and reporting on agreed priorities, embedding health and climate actions in NDCs, and adopting a New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance[4].

As the conference progresses, the global community is watching closely, hoping for significant commitments and actions to address the climate crisis.