Azerbaijan. The announcement was made on the Day of Peace, Relief and Recovery as part of the 2024 United Nations Climate Conference (COP-29) in Baku. During this, the Presidency informed that 132 countries including India have decided to join the COP Truce Appeal. It is a major global initiative that has received the support of over a thousand international institutions, civil society organisations, private sector representatives and influential public figures.
The purpose of the COP truce is to urge countries attending the conference to stop military activities. The initiative is inspired by the Olympic Truce, which was created to suspend hostilities during the Olympic Games. The initiative was re-implemented from the 1990s and was officially adopted by the United Nations in 1993. Now COP-29 has adopted this idea to tackle the climate crisis, calling for a halt to military operations during the conference.
The duration of the COP truce is proposed until November 2024, coinciding with the entire term of COP-29. The ceasefire during this period will attempt to focus on climate change and environmental sustainability. This initiative is important to prevent the environmental impacts of war, as there is a strong link between global military activities and greenhouse gas emissions. These military activities account for around 5.5 per cent of annual global emissions, which is more than the emissions from the aviation and shipping sectors combined. The devastating environmental impacts of wars, such as ecosystem destruction, pollution of soil, water and air, further aggravate the climate crisis. The COP Truce initiative recognizes that peace and environmental sustainability are interconnected, and efforts are necessary to maintain a balance between the two.