UK Pavilion Events Programme
Welcome to the UK Government Pavilion Events Programme for COP29!
We look forward to your visit, where you will experience a diverse, exciting, inclusive and ambitious programme of events. So please do join us, and get involved in the conversation, as we invite global experts, heads of states, local communities, artists and more in advocating for strong international climate leadership and action.
And of course, we value the important of making COP as sustainable and accessible as possible to access for all- so we invite those of you at home to watch the events live, or otherwise catch-up afterwards with via the recordings on our YouTube channel.
Monday, 11 November 2024
10:55 - 11:05 Baku
06:55 - 07:05 GMT
Armistice Day Remembrance
You are welcome to join us as we mark Armistice Day. We will host a two-minute silence in the UK Pavilion at 11:00 (AZT) in remembrance of the service and sacrifices those in the Armed Forces have made on our behalf.
13:00 - 14:00 Baku
09:00 - 10:00 GMT
UK Pavilion Welcome and Coffee Connect
Please join us as we open our pavilion and welcome you come along and say hello! This will be accompanied by complimentary climate-resilient coffee from our brilliant Kew Garden and Union Coffee colleagues.
15:00 - 16:30 Baku
11:00 - 12:30 GMT
We Are The Possible
Join us as the brilliant "We Are The Possible" host an immersive theatre performance.
Funded by the British Council and British Embassy, this performance will be delivered by a cast from Azerbaijan Khazar University under the mentorship of Co-Artistic Director Prof Adam Marple, The Theatre of Others.
Tuesday 12 November 2024
09:30 - 10:30 Baku
05:30 - 06:30 GMT
Investing in Energy Resilience and Nature in Africa
Africa is at the heart of the solution to the climate and nature challenge. This interactive discussion will help guide how the United Kingdom will partner with African countries and institutions to ramp up finance and ambition for African energy access, climate resilience and nature protection.
Watch live here
11:15 - 12:15 Baku
07:15 - 08:15 GMT
Unlocking the Power of Renewables: Love Zig Zags not Rectangles
Octopus Energy Event - UK Pavilion Official Partner
Renewables have been known to present the 'challenge' of variability, with electricity prices fluctuating dramatically. Octopus Energy instead sees the opportunity, renewables can provide incredibly cheap energy. The technology is already enabling our customers to access these low prices all while supporting the grid, making electricity cheaper for everyone.
13:00 - 14:00 Baku
09:00 - 10:00 GMT
Advancing forest tenure rights: Scaling support for Indigenous Peoples and local communities as guardians of forests and nature
The UK Foreign Secretary will bring together government, funders and Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IP and LC) leadership to reflect on global progress advancing IP and LC forest tenure rights since the historic COP26 Forest Tenure Pledge.
With support for IP and LCs in their vital role as guardians of forests and nature more critical than ever for climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation, this event will look at how stakeholders can collaborate and raise ambition to advance this agenda to 2030, including through a second phase of the Pledge as we approach COP30.
Watch live here
14:45 - 15:30 Baku
10:45 - 11:45 GMT
From call to action: the Bridgetown Initiative and delivering Global Financial System Reform. Real Talk with Prime Minister Mia Mottley and Foreign Secretary David Lammy, UK.
Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley called the world to action when she released the initial Bridgetown Initiative at UNGA in 2022. Now in its third iteration, the Bridgetown Initiative brings together an ambitious and holistic set of calls for reforms to make the Global Financial System more inclusive, more shock-responsive, and better scaled to meet the financing challenges and needs for developing countries.
The UK is ready to stand up to face those challenges head-on. As a G7 country with the largest sustainable financial centre in the world, a track-record of delivering financial innovations and influencing the global debate, a key voice in the governance of the System, the UK has a strong track-record and platform to deliver.
And deliver we must: the global financial system needs to deliver a fairer deal for developing countries. This conversation - will enable a frank discussion between leading voices to understand the problems, identify solutions, and drive reforms to create a world free of poverty on a liveable planet.
Watch live here
18:30 - 19:30 Baku
14:30 - 15:30 GMT
Unlocking Access to Climate Finance
This event responds to the continued need to unlock access to climate finance for the most climate vulnerable developing countries. While we are seeing growing focus on this agenda, SIDS and LDCs continue to face substantial challenges in mobilising the finance they need.
By bringing together national governments, financial institutions, and experts, this high-level event aims to accelerate collective efforts, enhance ambition, and help deliver the changes needed to unlock finance at speed and scale in alignment with developing countries’ own climate and growth priorities, building on the reform processes already underway across the climate finance architecture.
Watch live here
Wednesday 13 November
09:30 - 10:30 Baku
05:30 - 06:30 GMT
Resilient Islands: Tailoring Finance and Enabling Investment
This UK-hosted high-level event will bring together key partners to outline where progress has been made in improving access to climate finance for SIDS and to identify where further action is needed. It will showcase progress and share lessons on innovative approaches to improve access to finance, such as how Disaster Risk Finance can be best mobilised to support Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the face of disasters.
Watch live here
11:00 - 12:30 Baku
07:00 - 08:00 GMT
Bigger, Better, Bolder: updating NDC's in line with 1.5 Degrees
This event will be a live recorded Outrage+Optimism podcast (in a similar vein to previous flagship events in London and Climate Week NYC), followed by a drinks reception. The format will be a panel moderated by Tom Carnac of Outrage and Optimism. The event will open with Ed Miliband (SoS DESNZ) setting out how the UK’s high ambition NDC sets the tone for NDCs that align with the science, respond to the public mandate, inspires investment and implemented through collaboration with others.
Using media style format, Tom Carnac will then ask the other senior speakers (Climate Change Committee, British International Investment, We are Family Foundation and Brazil) to speak in more detail about each of these areas and on how stakeholders from across real economy and society can help turbocharge their implementation, and look ahead to how collaboration between major international powers can help tip the balance on climate action before the mid-way point this decade.
There will be opportunity for audience Q&A at end, followed by final closing reflections by Tom Carnac.
Watch live here
13:00 - 14:00 Baku
09:00 - 10:00 GMT
Public Finance in Action
Scaling international public finance is an essential enabler to accelerating the clean energy transition, particularly in emerging markets and developing economies. This event will showcase how the UK and global partners are advancing this mission in the context of the Global Stocktake commitments to transition away from fossil fuels, triple renewable energy generation and double energy efficiency by 2030.
The discussion will explore key delivery mechanisms and UK-leadership in this space, including through the Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CETP) and blended finance solutions.
Watch live here
14:45 - 15:45 Baku
10:45 - 11:45 GMT
Scaling Sustainable Export Finance
Building on the launch of the Net Zero Export Credit Agencies (NZECA) Alliance at COP28, Export Credit Agencies (ECAs), government representatives and senior leaders in sustainable finance will meet at COP29 to agree key steps for scaling export finance and delivering sustainable development impact in emerging and developing economies.
Watch live here
16:30 - 17:30 Baku
12:30 - 13:30 GMT
Assessing and scaling new financial pathways to support climate and nature outcomes
Standard Chartered Event - UK Pavilion Official Partner
Evaluating the success, impact, and returns of blended finance instruments is a critical step in identifying opportunities for scale and wider application.
Standard Chartered will bring together clients, partners, and stakeholders in the UK Pavilion at COP29 to take a forensic look at two separate transactions in this space, each showcasing the potential of blended finance mechanisms that connect interests across the capital stack and hold significant potential for scale.
With a deep dive on these two examples, the event will breakdown the approach and outcomes of each transaction, before opening a discussion with experts on where and how these structures will be used and replicated at global, regional, and local level, in support of climate and nature outcomes.
Please note, this is a closed-door event, and a ticket will be required to attend. For more information, contact Dalinee Soondrum on Dalinee.Soondrum@sc.com
18:00 - 19:00 Baku
14:00 - 15:00 GMT
Public markets for public good; innovation to close the climate and development financing gap
An estimated additional $3 trillion is required annually to deliver the SDGs.1 We know that public finance alone will not be enough. We must go further and faster to mobilise more finance from all sources to help end extreme poverty and tackle the climate crisis.
Mobilising private finance at a far greater scale is essential if we are to deliver our development and climate goals. An estimated $500 billion in international private finance will be needed to help close the financing gap, including from institutional investors, such as pension funds and insurance providers.
The potential is enormous: reorienting just a fraction of the $98 trillion in global institutional investment assets under management could be transformative. OECD countries’ pension assets alone exceed $48 trillion. Public markets can help drive institutional investors into EMDEs, including to support the climate transition.
This event will bring together relevant stakeholders (MDBs, DFIs, investors, stock exchanges) to discuss how actors across the global financial system can work through public markets to mobilise more capital for emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs).
The discussion will consider how these approaches can support faster reform of the global financial system for climate, nature and development; and how to deliver sustainable economic development that creates opportunity for all. It will showcase innovative models that are being pioneered by governments, including the UK, and private sector providers; demonstrate how this work is shifting the dial to close the climate and development finance gap; and consider how different actors can learn from these approaches.
Watch live here
Thursday 14th November
09:30 - 10:30 Baku
05:30 - 06:30 GMT
Achieving a step change in gender equality for a successful energy transition
This event is the common thread across all the Energy Transition priorities areas. The UN recognises that for a sustainable energy future, gender (SGD5) and energy (SGD7) need to be integrated. The energy transition whilst challenging, will create benefits and opportunities for women from all backgrounds, and the outcome will be a more diverse and innovative workforce. The journey starts with a step up in leadership.
The outcome of this event is to ensure the dialogue on gender is integrated with energy transition policies. This is the critical part of delivering a gender-responsive, just transition to build a low-carbon economy.
Watch live here
11:10 - 12:10 Baku
07:10 - 08:10 GMT
Is the energy sector prepared for data centres and AI?
National Grid Event - UK Pavilion Official Partner
This roundtable will bring together tech companies, energy companies, policymakers and other experts to discuss how to optimise infrastructure to integrate two significant emerging sources of energy demand: data centres and AI. The discussion will consider how to manage the extra expected demand, how regulation and legislation can keep up, and how stakeholders can work together to facilitate the increase in demand for power and grid interconnection being driven by generative AI.
Watch live here
12:50 - 13:50 Baku
08:50 - 09:50 GMT
Baseload and Beyond: Industrial Applications of Advanced Nuclear Technology
Nuclear energy's ability to generate baseload low-carbon electricity already contributes to the global climate mitigation agenda, but what of its potential beyond the domestic power grid?
This event will explore the role of advanced nuclear technology in supporting industrial decarbonisation and climate action. Expert panellists will discuss their experience of the unique capabilities of nuclear in wider clean energy applications e.g. providing carbon-free electricity for the data centres that will power our future and support hard-to-abate energy intensive industries like steel, cement and chemicals, and sustainable aviation fuel.
Watch live here
14:30 - 15:30 Baku
10:30 - 11:30 GMT
Regional Connectivity Forum: Accelerating clean energy corridors from the North Sea to Central Asia
In the spirit of the COP29 Green Energy Pledge, and country commitments to strengthen regional cooperation on energy integration, this event will bring together representatives across the North Sea to Central Asia. As part of a cross-regional dialogue, including industry and global experts, participants will be able to share lessons on deployment of renewables and clean energy infrastructure, unlocking investment, and working together to accelerate the clean energy transition. This forum will also showcase research on offshore wind and regional connectivity potential, whilst promoting new opportunities for cross regional collaboration and events.
Watch live here
16:00 - 16:50 Baku
12:00 - 12:50 GMT
Making Sustainable Trade Flow
DP World Event - UK Pavilion Official Partner
While businesses strive to implement ambitious emission reduction targets while remaining competitive and meeting requirements asked by regulators, investors and consumers, significant obstacles remain.
DP World aims to demonstrate the value of sustainable end-to-end logistics. The Panel event, “Making Sustainable Trade Flow,” will focus on the issues and challenges in making the supply chain more sustainable, the transition to low emissions fuels feasible, the obstacles to electrification of vehicles and real estate in the UK, and the overall role logistics can play in cutting emissions.
Join DP World and expert panelists for insights into how net zero carbon emissions can be achieved across the logistics and trade sector.
The event will focus on four primary objectives:
- Promoting Sustainable Trade Practices: Discuss how global initiatives are setting new standards for sustainability in the logistics and trade sectors and examine the positive effect of Green Corridors in promoting specific trade routes where sustainable fuels and technologies are prioritised.
- Energy Transition and the Future of Green Ports: Examine the future of port operations with a spotlight on electrification efforts, shore power, and the challenges and opportunities in transitioning to electric infrastructure, including infrastructure development.
- Business & Industry Collaboration: Discuss how businesses need to work together with governments, NGOs and consumers to facilitate sustainable trade. A particular focus on capacity and financing the transition.
- Innovative Solutions for Carbon Reduction: Explore the technological advancements and strategic investments that are driving down carbon emissions in the supply chain. A particular focus will be on the potential success of biofuels and viability of ammonia and methanol as green marine fuels in addition to a broader discussion around the Modal Shift Programme and the Move to -15° C initiatives.
Watch live here
17:50 - 18:50 Baku
13:50 - 14:50 GMT
Climate Finance to Build Resilience: In Conversation with the Global South
The intertwined vulnerabilities from climate change, environmental degradation, economic fragility, and conflict are escalating humanitarian needs globally. Targeted climate action and finance are crucial not only to mitigate these needs but also to foster sustainable development and peace. However, climate finance for the most vulnerable countries remains insufficient and this deficit disproportionately affects women and girls, who make up 80% of displaced individuals. A high-level panel, led by Global South nations like Somalia, Jordan, and Chad, will discuss effective strategies and lessons learned in addressing these challenges.
Watch live here
19:30 - 20:30 Baku
15:30 - 16:30 GMT
Financing the Transition: Working Towards a Global Approach
This event will feature expert voices on the collective action needed to scale credible transition finance in emerging markets. It will feature a keynote speech from the UK Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Lord Livermore, and will set out next steps on the UK’s green finance agenda. Building on the findings of the Transition Finance Market Review, the event will highlight the importance of transition planning as a tool to scale transition finance globally, with participation from the International Transition Plan Network.
Watch live here
Friday 15 November 2024
09:30 - 10:30 Baku
05:30 - 06:30 GMT
National Climate Councils – how to set one up successfully [by learning from others]
There is no single methodology to establish a new climate council, as every country is unique. The International Climate Councils Network (ICCN) is therefore developing a toolkit that showcases how its 25 members have been set up so other countries can learn what is most relevant to them. Hear from the Chairs and Chief Executives of Climate Councils on how they were created and what advice they can give to new councils.
Watch live here
11:10 - 12:10 Baku
07:10 - 08:10 GMT
Mission-driven energy policy: The role of public-private sector collaboration
SSE Event - UK Pavilion Official Partner
In July 2024 a new UK Government came into office with a commitment to a new approach to governing: mission-driven government. At the core of this approach is one of the most ambitious power sector decarbonisation targets anywhere in the world.
One of the UK's five missions is to deliver a Clean Power System by 2030. The UK Secretary of State has appointed Chris Stark- formerly Chief Executive of the UK's climate policy watchdog- to lead this effort in a newly created role as Head of Mission Control for clean power 2030. The Government has also begun to set up GB Energy, a new publicly owned energy company, to leverage both public and private investment in clean energy infrastructure.
This roundtable event will allow participants to discuss how the Clean Power Mission has impacted UK public-private sector engagement on energy policy and what we've learnt from the progress made so far. It will also allow non-UK participants to offer their views on how they think a mission approach could be used in their own jurisdictions.
Watch live here
12:50 - 13:50 Baku
08:50 - 09:50 GMT
Locally-Led Adaptation as a means to achieve gender-just climate finance
In partnership between the UK and the Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action, this panel exchange will discuss the need for increased gender-responsive climate action. It will discuss recommendations on how to ensure gender-just climate policy and finance within the principles for Locally-Led Adaptation. Panelists will share concrete examples of how Women-Led Community Based Organisations, Women's Funds and Environmental Justice Funds are driving forward best practice at the grassroots level.
Watch live here
14:30 - 15:30 Baku
10:30 - 11:30 GMT
Gender-Based Violence: Overcoming the unseen barrier to effective climate action.
Gender-based violence (GBV) is a major barrier to successful climate action. It fundamentally constrains women’s and girls’ effective participation in climate adaptation, mitigation, resilience, and activism. The UK and Australia are releasing a ground-breaking new report outlining the relationship between GBV and climate action, including recommendations for policy makers, programmers, and donors. Join this event to hear about the report’s findings, and to learn from locally-led organisations working at the intersection of GBV and climate change.
Watch live here
16:10 - 17:10 Baku
12:10 - 13:10 GMT
Launch of UK Government’s Principles for Voluntary Carbon and Nature Market Integrity
Higher integrity voluntary markets could accelerate the achievement of our climate goals, unlocking much needed finance, and supporting social, environmental and biodiversity benefits. However, high standards have not always been met, and this has undermined confidence, and the use of such markets. In response, UK Ministers, building on the work of leading independent initiatives like the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market, and the Voluntary Carbon Market Integrity initiative, will set out details of a forthcoming consultation that seeks to raise integrity in these markets, so they better support achievement of the Paris temperature goal.
Watch live here
17:50 - 18:50 Baku
13:50 - 14:50 GMT
International Collaboration on Clean Heating
Heating is an important but often overlooked element of climate change mitigation. The Clean Heat Forum, established at COP26, has been developing a global network of policy makers and experts on clean heating and now supports the ‘buildings breakthrough agenda’. This event hears from a panel of global experts on clean heating including members of the Clean Heat Forum and investigates what is needed next to drive clean heating in line with the Paris Agreement and the Chaillot Declaration on buildings. The event will also feature the launch of a new global policy toolkit for driving heat pump uptake, a core clean heating technology.
Watch live here
Saturday 16 November
09:30 - 10:30 Baku
05:30 - 06:30 GMT
Policies for a cost-effective transition: how policymakers can enable tipping points to make sector transitions happen faster and cheaper
Policymakers have agency to accelerate the shift from fossil fuel-driven systems to low-carbon alternatives, but identifying which policies can deliver quickly and cost-effectively is challenging. This event will share how individual policies, policy mixes and sequencing pursuing price-parity tipping points can accelerate transitions and maximise cost-effectiveness by harnessing policy and cross-sectoral synergies. The event, convening researchers and policy practitioners, will draw on insights from case studies for solar, EVs, heat pumps, green hydrogen and alternative proteins; recently published research on a positive tipping cascade in power, transport and heating; and emerging research on harder-to-abate sectors.
Watch live here
11:15 - 12:45 Baku
07:15 - 08:45 GMT
Scaling International Assistance for Industrial Decarbonisation
This high-level event will bring together countries, other assistance providers, and leading international initiatives to spotlight the global and UK-led international assistance offer for accelerating industrial decarbonisation in Emerging Markets and Developing Economies.
The event will focus on efforts under the Climate Club Global Matchmaking Platform, Breakthrough Agenda, CIF Industry Decarbonisation Programme, and Brazil-UK Industrial Decarbonisation Hub.
Watch live here
13:30 - 14:30 Baku
09:30 - 10:30 GMT
Digital Net Zero: How Tech and AI are driving decarbonization, and the opportunities this offers industries, societies and governments
AVEVA Event - UK Pavilion Official Partner
Successfully driving sustainable innovation in the industrial sphere demands cooperation and collaboration. Industry, government and civil society must come together to share ideas and identify areas for concerted action, what we at AVEVA call radical collaboration. Marking Digitalization, Tech & Innovation Day on 16th November, AVEVA will host a panel discussion at the UK Pavilion bringing together industry and government leaders to explore how digital solutions and AI can drive the transition to a Net Zero industrial economy. Join AVEVA’s CSO, Lisa Wee, who will ask our expert line up of speakers to reflect on previous COPs and the rate of progress in relation to industrial decarbonisation and share how public-private partnerships can accelerate the delivery of global Net Zero goals.
Watch live here
15:15 - 16:15 Baku
11:15 - 12:15 GMT
Partnerships for Clean Energy Innovation: needs and opportunities on the road to 1.5C
This interactive event will bring stakeholders together to discuss the role of clean energy innovation partnerships in accelerating emissions reductions in line with 1.5C pathways and delivering on international clean power commitments.
We will hear key insights from Mission Innovation, a global initiative catalysing a decade of action and investment in clean energy innovation, as well as specific innovation projects from around the world.
Delegates are invited to join a discussion about the need and opportunities for climate innovation funding and how we can collectively bolster investment and collaboration on global clean energy innovation.
Watch live here
17:00 - 18:00 Baku
13:00 - 14:00 GMT
Sustainable Cooling in a Warming World
Please join us as we details the UK’s progress in implementation of the Global Cooling Pledge and celebrates the leadership of the UK in the field of sustainable cooling.
Watch live here
18:30 - 20:15 Baku
14:30 - 16:15 GMT
Building domestic and global leadership through stakeholder collaboration
Join us as we host a networking drinks reception celebrating UK Governments international and domestic leadership working with and supporting our international and civil society partners.
Sunday, 17 November 2024
Rest Day