COP29: Time to clean up climate corruption: TI

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The Conference of the Parties (COP29) Climate Summit is just days away, with priorities like setting climate finance goals, strengthening climate action and slashing greenhouse emissions. But concerns about conflicts of interest impeding a truly fossil-fuel-free summit keep piling up. This week, Elnur Soltanov, COP29 CEO and Board Member of Azerbaijan’s state fossil fuel company, reportedly used his position to arrange meetings for potential fossil fuel deals. 

It's time to ask: why are we falling behind in the fight against the climate crisis? And who’s really shaping global climate policy? Corruption is one of the biggest, yet often overlooked, threats to climate action. It diverts funds, undermines global efforts, stalls real progress and puts our collective future at risk.  We've long warned how fraud, bribery, conflicts of interest and other forms of corruption are setting us back. This year, we are deeply concerned that undue influence comes from the very heart of COP29’s leadership itself, and it wouldn’t exactly be the first time...

Big polluters, especially the fossil fuel industry, bring immense influence and money to COP negotiations, often leading to watered-down commitments and misdirected solutions. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) now requires attendees to declare affiliations, but 60 per cent of participants still don’t fully reveal their ties. Transparency is critical to keeping the interests of the public and the planet – not corporate profits – at the forefront of climate talks. 

In Baku, there’s a real risk COP29 could be co-opted by political elites and lobbyists advancing a pro-fossil fuel agenda. Transparency International’s new report with the Anti-Corruption Data Collective (ACDC) highlights how the lack of robust anti-corruption measures can allow Azerbaijan’s government to use the summit to boost domestic oil and gas interests and secure new deals. This casts serious doubt on the integrity of the climate negotiations, which require a proper way to manage conflicts of interest and select COP Presidents and sponsors more than ever. 

Billed as the “Finance COP,” COP29 is the pivotal moment for countries to set a new global climate finance goal. For coal-dependent nations, climate finance is crucial for transitioning to clean, renewable energy, yet without strong anti-corruption safeguards, these funds are at risk of being misused. 

At COP29, governments must commit to actively monitor climate funds, ensuring that financing reaches those most in need. A Just Transition Action Plan that enforces transparency and accountability is essential, particularly for initiatives like the Just Energy Transition Partnerships. 

The current system for tracking climate finance is failing. Developed nations need to meet their financial pledges, focusing on grants and accessible funding – not loans. A clear framework for climate debt-swaps, green bonds, and other tools, all anchored in transparency, is essential.

Keeping climate goals on track will mean tackling corruption directly. Without urgent action, the global climate framework is at risk. The lack of protective guardrails threatens the entire COP process. The UNFCCC must adopt safeguards preventing future hosts from pushing their own agendas over the collective climate good. 

To protect the integrity of COP in the future, we need stronger criteria for selecting host countries and corporate sponsors, prioritising environments that uphold human rights, transparency and freedom of expression. COPs must include robust conflict-of-interest policies, along with unrestricted civil society participation. 

COP29 is our chance to demand reforms that put the public interest first. Transparency International is campaigning for action to ensure transparency, governance and accountability at every level. Effective climate solutions are within reach, but only if integrity and strong governance are prioritised. – Transparency International