The Hellenic Republic is participating with a national pavilion at this year’s 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP29), taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11 to November 22.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis addressed the Plenary Session on November 13, emphasizing the country’s and the European continent’s efforts towards a type of energy transition that “our citizens can accept and our companies can afford”. The same day, the Greek Premier addressed the UN High-level Event on “Early Warnings for All and Addressing Extreme Heat,” convened by the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. In his address, Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed the importance of three factors: access to advanced technological infrastructure, effective governance and the relationship of trust with the local stakeholders.
Earlier, the Prime Minister attended the opening of the Greek Pavilion at COP29, where he underlined that Greece has reduced emissions by about 45% compared to 2005, adding that the shift to clean power generation technologies is generating new investment opportunities in the country. Kyriakos Mitsotakis noted that Greece is gradually becoming an energy exporter, emphasizing the importance of a more extensive network of interconnections with other European countries.
The Greek pavilion will host more than 45 events focused on coordinated climate action, energy transition, and strengthening of energy security.
A high-level panel discussed the transformative role of the Vertical Corridor in bolstering regional energy resilience and advancing the REPowerEU strategy.
One of the first events of the Greek Pavilion was presented by the Foreign Ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment & Energy. The topic of the event was “Greece’s path to Green Economy and Climate Action” (November 12). Moreover, a special event on “Green & Clean Digital Transformation (GR-ean),” on November 13, focused on ways Greece and the United Arab Emirates can cooperate in achieving positive spillover effects in the fight against climate change, through the necessary digital transformation.
Another event powered by the Foreign Ministry focused on “Green Ports for a Sustainable Blue Economy,” where it was highlighted that “green ports” play a pivotal role in combining economic prosperity and environmental resilience. It was also noted that Greek ports can benefit from the “cold-ironing” technology, which is the greenest way for ports to contribute to reducing shipping industry emissions.
Finally, Greek Economic Diplomacy Secretary General held a working meeting with the Secretary General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), to exchange views and identify potential synergies in the fields of environmental protection and renewable energy, maritime transport and sustainable tourism.
All events until November 20 are live-streamed on Greece’s official COP-29 website: greeceatcop.gr
