Saudi delegate accused of making 'unauthorised changes' to key COP29 document: Report

Media reports revealed Sunday (Nov. 24) that a Saudi delegate has been accused of making unauthorised changes to the official COP29 negotiating text. Usually, non-editable PDF copies are circulated among member nations for further discussions and the consensus-building process. However, concerns have been raised as it was revealed that an editable document may have been shared with the delegate of Saudi Arabia, regarded by many as a persistent obstructor of action at UN climate summits.

Azerbaijan presidency on Saturday circulated the text on the Just Transition Work Programme (JTWP) among all countries.

The Guardian reported that at least two cases of changes were unearthed when compared to the originally circulated text. The changes were apparently made by Basel Alsubaity, linked to the Saudi Ministry of Energy and the lead on the JTWP.

In one case, the following section of text was found deleted by the Saudi team: “encourages parties to consider just transition pathways in developing and implementing NDCs, NAPs, and LT-LEDSs that are aligned with the outcome of the first global stock take and relevant provisions of the Paris agreement.”

The NDC here stands for nationally determined contributions, NAPs for national adaptation plans, and LT-LEDs for long-term low-emission development strategies.

Experts criticised the Azerbaijan presidency for giving Saudi delegate the access to edit the document.

“Giving one party editing access to these documents, and a party known for its objective of rolling back the historic global agreement made last year to transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy and energy efficiency, suggests a worrying lack of independence and objectivity, and clearly contravenes both the spirit and the rules of this process,” said Catherine Abreu, the director of the International Climate Politics Hub and a Cop veteran to the Guardian.

She added that this behaviour from the presidency was almost like defeating the purpose of the summit altogether. “This kind of behaviour from a presidency risks placing this entire Cop in jeopardy,” she added.

(With inputs from agencies)