[12] Critics argued that hosting COP29 in Azerbaijan was inappropriate due to the country's poor human rights record and an alleged ethnic cleansing against the Armenian population in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

[13][14] They also highlighted that Azerbaijan was a major fossil fuel producer, with an authoritarian government extensively linked to corruption,[6][15] and saw the choice to assign hosting rights for the COP29 to the country as a way to greenwash its reputation.

[18][19][20] Michael Rubin, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, wrote that COP29 risked legitimizing Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's authoritarian government, comparing the occurrence to the political exploitation of the 1936 Summer Olympics by Adolf Hitler's regime.

The rights group drew a comparison with the situation during COP28, which had been hosted by the United Arab Emirates, stating that it had made multiple efforts to obtain the HCA signed in August 2023.

"[8] At the Climate Change Conference in Bonn in June 2024, despite positive outcomes on the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) and adaptation indicators for COP29,[25] limited progress was achieved on the effective implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, with unresolved issues surrounding carbon credit systems and emission avoidance.

[27] In July 2024, Azerbaijan announced the institution of the Climate Finance Action Fund (CFAF), a fund that aimed to seek US$1 billion in annual contributions from fossil fuel-producing countries and companies, which would then be re-invested in renewable energy and support of climate projects in developing countries; half of the resources from the CFAF would reportedly be allocated to national plans for the fulfillment of the targets set by the Paris Agreement.

The conference, centered around the motto "Strengthening Ambitions and Ensuring Action", opened with COP29 President-designate Mukhtar Babayev, COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber, and UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J.

[30] Guests discussed priorities such as the need for a new climate finance goal to replace the former $100 billion target, the full activation of the Loss and Damage Fund —originally established during the COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh—, and wider support of vulnerable communities.

After criticism voiced by several observers, including Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Christiana Figueres, another two men and eleven women were added to the panel.

[38][39] The COP29 Presidency stressed the importance of operationalizing the Loss and Damage Fund to support vulnerable communities, particularly in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs), while calling for enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in line with 1.5°C targets and urging the submission of national NDCs by 2025, with a focus on fossil fuel phase-out, increasing renewable energy, and addressing non-carbon-dioxide emissions, such as methane.

A key agenda item was the negotiation of the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance, which would set a new financial target to support developing countries after 2025, building on the previous $100 billion annual commitment.

Non-profit investor Acumen pledged $300 million for agricultural adaptation in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, while the Climate Investment Funds launched a $75 billion bond issuance program on the London Stock Exchange.

[47] At the conference, world leaders ratified a key framework under Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement, establishing a UN-backed body to regulate international carbon credit trading.

Key goals include establishing specific timelines for phasing out coal and developing green hydrogen markets, both of which are critical to achieving the Paris Agreement targets.

[46] COP29 Chief Executive, Elnur Soltanov, was secretly recorded discussing potential oil and gas deals during the conference, raising serious concerns about a breach of COP ethics.

The agreement was released alongside HRW's report exposing the efforts of Azerbaijan's government to "silence its critics", where several activists and journalists were arrested on baseless and serious criminal charges.

[60] On 23 November 2024, The Guardian revealed that a Saudi Arabian delegate had allegedly tried to modify an official negotiating text, a type of document that was usually circulated as non-editable PDF by COP presidencies to all countries simultaneously.