This November, world leaders, climate scientists, civil society, and activists from around the globe will convene in Baku, Azerbaijan for the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29).

At Pathfinder, we look forward to COP all year—climate action is essential to our mission of furthering sexual and reproductive health and rights, improving health, and advancing the equity and agency of women and girls. Last year, we were thrilled (and relieved) about the (overdue) launch of the first-ever Health Day at COP28. This year, of the 11 thematic days at COP29, from November 11 to 22, we have our eye on three in particular:

Saturday, November 16: Science, Technology and Innovation / Digitalization Day
Monday, November 18: Human Capital / Children and Youth / Health / Education Day
Thursday, November 21: Nature and Biodiversity / Indigenous People / Gender Equality / Oceans and Coastal Zones Day

We’ll be following discussions on these days as closely as we can… mostly from home, via the public webcast. Whether you’re watching along in real time or just catching up on the highlights between meetings, join us on LinkedIn for our #COP29WatchParty (details below) to share your thoughts on discussions from these thematic days.

Let Pathfinder be your COP29 digital correspondent!

Sign up for our Events mailing list to get key takeaways from our virtual coverage of COP29, highlights from our #COP29WatchParty, and updates about opportunities to engage with us in the future.

KEY POLICY ASKS

As a country-led, community-focused organization working toward sexual and reproductive health and rights for all, even in the most challenging environments, we have three key asks for leaders and policymakers at COP29:

We must build on momentum from COP28’s first-ever “Health Day” and invest in health as a part of national climate adaptation plans. Health funding must address the needs of women, girls, and other vulnerable groups.
Climate change is already here, and it is too late to concentrate global resources on mitigation. We must ensure countries on the frontlines of climate change—which have contributed the least to the climate crisis—have the resources and tools for climate adaptation with support from the wealthiest nations. National adaptation plans must be fully funded through innovative international and domestic financing mechanisms.
Women and youth must be meaningfully involved in global and domestic decision-making bodies driving the climate change agenda. Women and girls comprise most of the world’s climate migrants and suffer disproportionately from climate disasters. Climate crises are also linked to an increase in early and forced marriages, gender-based violence, maternal health complications, and unintended pregnancies.

A few Pathfinders have the honor of advocating for these priorities on the ground in Baku as delegation members of the Ministries of Health of Bangladesh and Pakistan. Keep scrolling to meet our Pathfinder representatives and learn more about what they’ll be up to at COP29.

BLUE ZONE EVENTS

Addressing Climate Change and Gender Equity within the Private Sector

Date: Friday, November 15 | Time: 4:30pm – 5:30pm AZT
Where: Pakistan Pavillion, Blue Zone
Hosts: Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination (MoCC), Government of Pakistan, and Pathfinder International

Join us for a panel discussion and presentation addressing climate change and gender equity within the private sector under the Gender and Climate Seal to integrate gender justice and climate resilience into environmental, social and governance (ESG) frameworks for organizations to promote gender equality at the core of climate actions. With Pathfinder Strategic Partnership Senior Manager, SAMENA, Yosra Albakkar.

Sharing Uganda Climate Change Health National Adaptation Plan: Call for Collaborative Action

Date: Saturday, November 16 | Time: 9:00am – 10:00am AZT
Where: World Health Organization (WHO) Pavillion, Blue Zone
Host: Uganda Ministry of Health

With support from: The Rockefeller Foundation, Pathfinder International, Regenerate Africa, Clinton Foundation, Seed Global Health, World Health Organization, Amref Health Africa, Makerere University, Tree Adoption Uganda

The Impact of Climate Change on Health in Bangladesh

Date: Thursday, November 21 | Time: 10:30am AZT
Where: Bangladesh Pavillion, Blue Zone
Host: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Partners: Pathfinder International, Friendship and YouthNet

Bangladesh is at the forefront of climate action, emphasizing the urgent need to address health impacts. The country faces rising sea levels, intensified cyclones, erratic rainfall, and frequent flash floods, exacerbating health issues like waterborne diseases, heat stress, and malnutrition. Climate-sensitive diseases such as dengue and malaria are on the rise, with extreme weather events leading to displacement and higher healthcare costs.
Despite significant strides in disaster risk management and community-based adaptation, strengthening health systems remains crucial. Bangladesh calls for increased financial commitments from developed nations to support adaptation and resilience efforts. With Pathfinder Bangladesh Country Director, Mahbub Alam, and Pathfinder Pakistan Project Manager, Askari Hasan.

#COP29WatchParty

Staying home during COP29? You’re in good company. Whether you’re facing visa challenges, feeling guilty about the carbon emissions, or dealing with other barriers to attending COP29 in person—we invite you to join us in tuning into the public webcast and discussing highlights from the following thematic days on LinkedIn.

How do I join the discussion?

There’s no need to lose sleep to watch the webcast live. Catch up on the session recordings that interest you on your own time. Our LinkedIn discussions will take place a day or two after the thematic day, and there’s no deadline for chiming in.

We’ll post our takeaways from each thematic day and ask for your perspective on themes and topics we identified from our coverage of the webcast. Here’s the #COP29WatchParty schedule:

Part 1 | Tuesday, November 19: Science, Technology and Innovation / Digitalization
Part 2 | Thursday, November 21: Human Capital / Children and Youth / Health / Education Day
Part 3 | Monday, November 25: Nature and Biodiversity / Indigenous People / Gender Equality / Oceans and Coastal Zones

RESOURCES

World Health Organization (WHO) | COP29 Special Report on Climate Change and Health: Health is the Argument for Climate Action

Global Climate and Health Alliance | A COP29 for People and Planet: Recommendations from the International Climate and Health Community

Pathfinder Uganda | Climate Change and Health: Integration for Positive Sexual and Reproductive Health Outcomes

Pathfinder | Climate & Health Resilience

Meet the Pathfinder Delegation

Mahbub Alam
Country Director, Bangladesh

Mahbub will represent Pathfinder in the Bangladesh Ministry of Health COP29 delegation. During the conference, he will share findings from a health facility assessment report conducted by the USAID / Shukhi Jibon project.
Mahbub joined Pathfinder in 2018 as the Family Planning Specialist, and in 2022, he took the responsibility of Pathfinder’s country leadership and also the role of Project Director of the USAID-funded Shukhi Jibon program.

Madiha Latif
Country Director, Pakistan

Madiha is an experienced systems interventionist and has been a Pathfinder since 2019, when she joined as the Program Manager for Beyond Bias, a BFGF investment aimed towards enabling young people’s access to contraception. In 2022 Madiha served as the Deputy Country Director to Pathfinder Pakistan, soon after which she took on a new role as the Chief of Staff for the SA/MENA Region.

Rannia Elsayed
Interim Country Director, Egypt

Rannia has extensive experience in coordinating and managing complex programs in various fields such as health, employment, economic support and education. Over the years she been involved with multiple international organizations such as USAID, EU, Mastercard Foundation, International Youth Foundation Egyptian Ministries, ILO, Drosos Foundation, UN agencies and many others.