The UN's big annual climate change conference known as COP29 wrapped up in November 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan. In this episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we sit down in Baku with Marcos Neto, Assistant Secretary General and Director of the UN Development Programme’s Bureau of Policy and Programme Support.  

Among other things, the UNDP helps countries develop their Nationally Determined Contributions — plans for achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement that are updated every five years. The next round of NDCs is due in February 2025. In the interview, Marcos discusses key outcomes from COP29 related to climate finance, the outlook for NDCs and National Adaptation Plans, and the work the UNDP is doing in other areas such as helping countries with their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans, or NBSAPs. 

Marcos also talks about the COP process and what is at stake heading into COP30, which is slated to take place in his hometown of Belém, Brazil in November 2025 and is already garnering a lot of attention.  

“I am optimistic that history will be made in my hometown,” Marcos says. "Despite all the geopolitical troubles, despite the wars, despite everything else ... we have an opportunity in November next year to show that the UN matters, that multilateralism matters.”  

2025 will also mark one decade since the Paris Agreement was signed — an important milestone, Marcos says. “If we have an agreement that 10 years on, cannot put us on the trajectory to 1.5 degrees, is it still credible?”  

This piece was published by S&P Global Sustainable1, a part of S&P Global.     

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