A delegation from the American Bar Association wrapped up its participation recently in a UN Climate Change Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, which marks the world's only multilateral decision-making forum on climate change that brings together almost every country on earth.

The conference, known as: COP29 or Conference of the Parties, featured a panel titled, “Beyond National Frameworks: Lawyers and Law Associations Enhancing Ambition Through Legal Approaches,” on Nov. 21. The entire conference ran from Nov. 11-22 in the capital of Azerbaijan, which sits at the boundary of Eastern Europe and West Asia.

COP29 marked the continuation of annual global climate treaty negotiations. The 1992 treaty has been ratified by 198 parties, including the U.S. and sets out the commitments and obligations of its signatories to respond to climate change.

The ABA delegation, organized by the Section of Environment, Energy and Resources, included three representatives in person — Adam Orford, a University of Georgia assistant law professor; Uma Outka, a law professor at the University of Kansas; and Kamran Jamil, a recent graduate of the UC Berkeley School of Law. Seven others were listed as representing the ABA virtually during parts of the conference.

“I believe we did a great job of communicating our principles as an important civil society organization in the United States, as we emphasized our professional organization's commitment to teamwork at the international level,” Jamil said in an email at the close of the conference.

“We were able to speak with country representatives, NGOs (non-government organizations) and UN leaders on the ABA's remarkable work in this field, as the United States has an important and positive role to play amongst the family of nations,” he said further on the ABA’s broad advocacy reach. 

The conference was hosted by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which is based in Bonn, Germany. 

As an official observer to the UN Climate Change Conferences, the ABA participates in numerous programs to educate lawyers about their roles in getting to net zero. 

These programs are coordinated collaboratively by the SEER Climate Change Task Force with other bar associations.