AS thousands of delegates, observers, and journalists covering COP29 spent the better part of their days navigating the labyrinth of delegations’ pavilions, the Pakistan Pavilion made a splash, with several talks held every day featuring international and national experts.

In terms of real estate, its location can be dubbed a “corner plot” as the kiosk has two entrances — where reception desks are set up with a helpful staff eager to help visitors who want information about climate change’s impact on Pakistan.

The pavilion, however, cost $250,000 — an expense deemed necessary by the government to highlight Pakistan’s climate plight at the global conference.

Like other pavilions, the Ministry of Climate Change also handed out badges to showcase local culture — the crowd reportedly nearly came to blows when snow leopard pins were being distributed.

The interest in these “pins” was so much that most pavilions have “Sorry, No Pins Today” signs up before the afternoon.

Observers impressed by Islamabad’s ‘corner plot’ presence at Baku summit

The strategy to attract people seemed to work: in the first leg of the two-week COP29, dignitaries from Pakistan, including Supreme Court judges, experts from the World Bank, WWF, and other multilateral forums, spoke there to an almost jam-packed hall.

“The pavilion is very busy,” said veteran climate journalist Joydeep Gupta, who has covered more than 15 COP conferences. A journalist from China also found the officials “quite friendly” and the pavilion “not so crowded but not too empty”.

Sometimes, there was food and tea served at the end of the noon session. “It helps attract people,” one of the officials told Dawn. That is true. All the 160 pavilions (listed on the official map) hosted by the countries and global bodies were in an undeclared contest — who will attract more people. Given how expensive the food at COP29 is, free food and drinks definitely were crowd-pullers.

Australia and Germany also offered free coffee and other beverages in the evening to raise their profile; and the same was the case with many others. If you think the food is expensive in the UN-controlled Blue Zone — where a small sandwich is about $8 — a water bottle at the ‘COP shop’ in the presidency-run Green Zone cost $23.

No money for delegation office

This economic disparity is at play at a larger stage too. As it reels from an economic crisis at home, Pakistan could not afford a delegation office because of a lack of funds.

Fermin Koop, a veteran climate journalist from Argentina, believed the pavilions were necessary because they raised a country’s profile, but delegation offices were primarily for private meetings, which could also be held anywhere inside or outside the venue.

These delegation offices were set up in a never-ending corridor on the first floor of the Baku Olympics Stadium and require special permission to enter.

Interestingly, India with a low-key presence at the conference, does not have a pavilion, only a delegation office. The sole national flag by its door – probably placed by the COP presidency — was the only way of knowing this was their office.

Speaking to Dawn, PM’s Coordinator on Climate Change Romina Khurshid Alam said she was there to fight Pakistan’s case for climate justice and that the pavilion was a testament to that commitment.

“The world has to do more now,” the PM’s aide, who had been running from one pavilion to another for high-level meetings — just like this correspondent – told Dawn at the pavilion.

Samina Mumtaz Zehri, who heads the National Assembly Standing Committee on Climate Change, told Dawn they had done a lot of hard work before coming to Baku. In the lead-up to COP29, a “COP simulation” drive was organised to give final touches to the groundwork.

Journalists covering this conference often complained or cracked “leg” jokes about all the walking involved, saying that even if the negotiations do not lead anywhere, at least they will all be slimmer by the time the summit ends.

Some who keep track of their daily walks liked to compare their steps at the end of the day, and all of them are 12,000 steps upward. The step count could have been higher, if the almost 3,000 volunteers recruited by the COP presidency weren’t so helpful.

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2024