A day before the start of the world climate meeting, where is Bulgaria and will we submit a request to host in 2024?

Raya Lecheva

A green area of ​​22,500 square meters is where the business community, youth, civil society, academia and artists from all over the world will have additional space for presence and participation.

President Rumen Radev heads the Bulgarian delegation that will travel to the world climate meeting in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, which begins on Sunday (6 November) and will continue until 18 November. President Rumen Radev heads the Bulgarian delegation to the international UN climate meeting in Egypt, it was officially written in a decision of the Council of Ministers from the end of the month. The delegation will include the Acting Minister of Environment and Water Rositsa Karamfilova as deputy head of the delegation.

What will be the topics that will be raised, what are our main goals, we still do not have an official answer from the Council of Ministers. However, Bulgaria is expected to submit a request to host COP29 in 2024. This idea was presented by the former Minister of Environment and Water Borislav Sandov. "Our main goal is to host COP29 in 2024, because our whole society will talk about the climate. Bulgaria is one of the countries with the largest reduction in emissions, but at the same time with an increase in gross domestic product, which shows that "policies for a cleaner environment lead to new opportunities," Sandov commented on the idea to journalists at the time. This will be the biggest event in Bulgaria, he added, Bulgaria has never welcomed such a level of political world leaders at the same time. This is a guarantee that we will actively talk about the topic, which will be on the agenda for our entire society and for each of us, the minister emphasized then.

There is no official confirmation from either the Council of Ministers or the Ministry of the Environment whether Bulgaria will submit its request to host one of the largest international forums in the world.

The parties must show exactly how they will implement the increased ambitions of the Glasgow Pact. Part of this will include updating the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of all countries to bring the world even closer to the goals of the Paris Agreement. Over 190 signatories are required to update their contributions every 5 years. This was originally supposed to happen in 2020, but due to the pandemic, the matter was postponed for a year, and unfortunately, at last year's COP only a small part of the updated contributions were judged to be more ambitious. Ahead of the conference in Egypt, all countries were asked to send the UN updated, more ambitious nationally determined contributions, but as of November 2, only 22 out of 193 countries had sent any. There is also no official information on whether Bulgaria has updated its plan.

Over 40,000 are expected to attend COP27 and other related activities from 6 to 18 November. Ambassador Wael Abulmagd, Special Representative of the President at COP27, said: “The Egyptian Presidency team is working tirelessly to create an environment that is conducive to successful negotiations. As hosts of the COP, we aim to attract representatives of nations and stakeholders from around the world and provide the necessary momentum to address the necessary actions to urgently and massively implement climate commitments and pledges.”

The Sharm el-Sheikh International Convention Center (SHICC) will form the entire blue zone for COP27. The blue area is where all negotiations between delegates must take place. In addition, a long list of dynamic events will be organized by governments and accredited observers, including youth advocates and academics.

A green area of ​​22,500 square meters is where the business community, youth, civil society, academia and artists from all over the world will have additional space for presence and participation. The Green Zone aims to foster an inclusive and dynamic dialogue and engagement between climate actors through events, exhibitions, workshops, cultural performances and talks.

The Climate Action Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh will take place on 7-8 November and will bring together all participating heads of state and government. After the opening of the summit, several round tables will be held, which will focus on six key themes: Just Transition, Food Security, Innovative Finance for Climate and Development, Investing in the Energy Future, Water Security and Climate Change and Resilience of Vulnerable Communities.

On the sidelines of the global negotiations to be held in Egypt during the conference, the Egyptian presidency of COP27 has set several key thematic days. These themed days are part of efforts to promote climate action that can overcome existing bottlenecks and implementation gaps and deepen engagement with youth, women, civil society and indigenous peoples, among other key themes at the center of discussions. Key areas of focus include the promise of innovation and clean technology, as well as the centrality of water and agriculture to the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, the energy transition, decarbonisation efforts and finance. Three days will be dedicated to youth and future generations, gender and civil society, their contribution, the challenges they face, the solutions they propose and how to integrate their commitment into the planning and implementation of climate policies.

The Egyptian presidency of COP27 has launched several initiatives that will take place at the conference. These initiatives include the COP27 Presidency Sustainable Urban Resilience for the Next Generation (SURGe), Initiative on Climate Action and Nutrition (I-CAN), Action on Water, Adaptation and Resilience (AWARe), Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation Initiative (Fast), Global Waste Initiative 50 to 2050, Initiative for Just and Affordable Energy Transition in Africa, Initiative for Decent Livelihoods for a Sustainable Climate in Africa, Climate Response to Sustain Peace (CRSP), African Women's Climate Adaptation Priorities (CAP), Friends of Greening National Investment Plans, Enhancing Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Transformation (ENACT).

The COP27 mobile app serves as an easy-to-use conference information resource. This includes indoor venue navigation, event schedules, travel planning and more, making it an essential guide for all COP27 attendees.

The Bulgarian delegation for the climate meeting in Egypt will also include Rosen Hristov - Acting Minister of Energy, Deyan Katrachev - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Arab Republic of Egypt, Tsveta Timeva - Chief Secretary to the President, Rusi Ivanov - Secretary for Foreign Policy of the president. Kiril Atanasov - secretary for relations with the media of the president, Stefan Savov - deputy minister of innovation and growth, Zornitsa Apostolova - adviser on foreign policy of the president, Ivan Dimitrov - director of the "Protocol" directorate in the Presidential Administration, Lyubomira Gancheva - chief of the political cabinet of the Minister of Energy, Slavina Ivanova - adviser to the Minister of Energy, Grigor Porojanov - director of the UN and Global Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Svetlin Milchev - adviser at the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in the Arab Republic of Egypt, Alexander Seferinov - attaché at the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in the Arab Republic of Egypt, Boryana Kamenova - director of the "Climate Change Policy" Directorate of the Ministry of Environment and Water, Tanya Stefanova - head of department in the "Public Relations" Directorate at the Administration of The President, Dilyana Kundeva - chief expert in the "Protocol" Directorate in the President's Administration . climate" of the Ministry of Environment and Water, Valentin Nikolov - official photographer in the President's Administration, Ognyan Stefanov - official operator in the President's Administration, Ognyan Shalamanov - personal physician of the President as well as security guards.