People walk at the entrance of the venue of the United Nations climate change conference COP29, in Baku, Azerbaijan November 11, 2024.
A section of young delegates attending the world’s biggest climate meet in Baku, Azerbaijan, say they are trying to focus on the conference but are struggling to do so amid pangs of biting hunger.
They are now urging organisers of the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to consider providing free food to delegates whose per diems barely cover costs of accommodation and meals.
For instance, a Tanzanian delegate who spoke to Nation.Africa lamented that they have to leave the venue of the climate conference and venture into markets in Baku where food is more affordable.
“The FAO director-general session was themed ‘Making Climate Finance Work for Climate Action in Agriculture and Food Security’. I am very interested but will have to pass because I have to go to a local market that I am told is quite far to see if I can get affordable food to eat. The cost of food at COP is just too much for me,” the delegate, who did not want to be named, said.
A section of Kenyan delegates, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisal, say they're also not spared by hunger pangs.
“We are getting a daily subsistence allowance of $291 as per United Nations rates which is Sh22,000. It is this same money we are expected to use to sort out food, accommodation, transport and anything else we need. If you saw how dingy the places we are currently staying at look you will be shocked,” a Kenyan climate negotiator who opened up to Nation.Africa said.
“I'm just out here surviving by the grace of God and persevering for the love of my country and continent,” his colleague, also Kenyan, added.
Doreen Ajiambo, a Kenyan journalist covering COP29, said she has witnessed delegates in similar situations during her time in Baku.
"I know three people at COP who are sleeping hungry. They told me they are surviving on free biscuits from events happening around," she said.
Another delegate from Uganda said his sponsor's budget is "too tight" to comfortably survive in Baku.
“My sponsor (to COP29) put me on a very tight budget that can no longer hold. I had to call my mother who’s a trader in Uganda to ask her to send me money. She told me she borrowed it so that I don’t sleep hungry," the delegate told Nation.Africa.
For Dalisay, who comes from The Philippines, she says she has already depleted all the money she had.
“Travelling to Baku was so expensive so my food budget suffered immensely. Today is day one but I have survived entirely on snacks from specific pavilions I visited which offered something to bite," she said.
"I was torn between fare and food because after boarding the COP bus to the last stop in Narimanov, I have to get an Uber and pay at least 5 Manat (Sh380) twice a day to get to where I currently stay,” she revealed.
'Surviving on dates'
A female delegate from Brazil has also lamented how expensive Baku can be.
"Ever since I landed on Saturday and discovered things in Baku are extremely expensive, I have been low-key surviving off lunch and dinner date invites from my male global north friends who can afford it here. To be honest, it feels like they are ‘living’ around here while we merely ‘exist’" she said.
She also discloses that another "trick" cash-strapped delegates at COP29 are using is a detailed ‘Free Food Guide’ that a resourceful delegate came up with. It basically lists all COP events that are serving minimal but free food.
“The document has spread in WhatsApp groups like bushfire. A big thank you to whoever thought of it, you are a life-saver,” she adds.
Rich and poor: Irony of two worlds at COP29
But while delegates from the global south are struggling to get by, that doesn't appear to be the case with those from their wealthier global north counterparts. In fact, a section of delegates from rich countries are reportedly irked by the quality of food being sold at the venue of the meetings.
“The food served at COP29 is a disheartening reminder of the state of sustainable food in the mainstream world. With $30 (Sh3,880) beef burgers wrapped in plastic and wine and beer flowing, it makes you wonder if you’re really at the world’s top climate conference,” Nika Moieni, the Executive Director of Youth Climate Save Canada, said in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday.
“It’s also a reminder of the (unhealthy) reasons why we eat - for comfort in the midst of difficult times, to please others and show our guests the bounty we have to offer, to distract ourselves from the challenges of daily life,,” she said in the post.
But for a number of delegates from third world countries, especially climate negotiators that arrived in Baku a week earlier pre-COP29 meetings, they are hanging on by a thread as it’s only day two of the global meet.
Cost of food at COP29
At the conference venue, the cost of a burger is $30 (Sh3,880), a small tumbler of tea or coffee is $10 (Sh1,292), while a plate of rice with beef (the cheapest meal) at a restaurant is $40 (Sh5,170). The food is sold in small portions, so woe unto you if you are used to eating dishes like ugali on a regular basis.
For dinner, if you are having an assortment of. for instance, vegetables, grilled chicken, a glass of juice together with rice or mashed potatoes and salad, you will part with at least $60.
As for accommodation, a standard hotel room in the city is $100 per night. Cheaper options are available but they may take you further from the conference venue.
There are free COP29 buses available for movement, The only problem is that they do not take you to exact locations, just general locales. This means you will likely have to alight at a bus stop that is near where you're going and take an Uber or Bolt ride to get you there.
In a day, you will spend at most $20 (Sh2,585) for two trips, while going to and coming from the conference. The price varies depending on where you're staying and the traffic conditions.
