By Daniel Igboekwe
Civil society groups from around the globe, including the Africa Make Big Polluters Pay (MBPP) coalition, convened at the People’s Plenary of COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Themed “Pay Up, Stand Up: Finance Climate Action, Not Genocide,” the plenary served as a rallying call for climate justice as the summit drew to a close.
With a unified voice, activists condemned the Global North for perpetuating neocolonialism, ecocide, and fossil fuel overconsumption, which they linked to systemic injustices like genocide. The gathering emphasized solidarity in the fight for a just and equitable global climate agenda.
The plenary brought together diverse groups, including indigenous activists, women’s organizations, labor unions, and people with disabilities from both the Global South and North. Participants reaffirmed their commitment to collective action, calling for meaningful change.
In the Caspian Plenary Hall—just steps from negotiation rooms where world leaders failed to agree on a global climate finance deal—activists mourned victims of international conflicts. They recited names of Palestinians killed in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as victims of Sudan’s civil war, demanding an end to global ecocide and violence.
Despite COP29 being dubbed the “Finance COP,” negotiations between nations of the Global North and South remained deadlocked. Key disputes included the total amount of climate finance needed—Southern nations demand $5 trillion annually—and the mechanisms for funding distribution.
Lebanese activist Baturi Nuru Habin tied global inaction to her country’s struggles, stating, “There’s no climate justice with blood on our hands.”
Christina Chock, representing indigenous peoples, declared, “We call for an end to the inequality and injustice that enrich the few while destroying our planet. The future belongs to us. We have traveled across continents to say: nothing about us, without us.”
Anna Bohushenko of Climate Action Network Eastern Europe and Central Asia vowed relentless resistance, saying, “We will not stop fighting—not today, not tomorrow, not ever.”
The session concluded with activists pledging to:
Demand accountability for the $5 trillion annual climate debt owed by the Global North to the Global South.
Push for ambitious, grant-based climate finance that prioritizes justice and real solutions.
Stand in solidarity with victims of genocide and hold governments accountable for complicity in conflicts.
Fight for global dignity and sustainable coexistence with the planet.
Strengthen collective movements to mobilize for climate action worldwide.
The plenary was a potent reminder of the moral and financial debt owed to vulnerable communities by wealthy nations—a call for urgent action that will likely resonate far beyond the halls of COP29.