The Dutch Prime Minister has announced that he will not attend COP29, due to the events of Thursday evening in Amsterdam.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof will not attend COP29, which will be held next week in Baku, Azerbaijan. “Due to the considerable social impact of last Thursday evening’s events in Amsterdam, I will remain in the Netherlands”indicated the Prime Minister on X.
Dick Schoof will therefore be replaced by the Dutch special envoy for the climate, Jaime de Bourbon de Parma. The Minister of Climate and Green Growth, Sophie Hermans, will also be present at the summit as a representative of the Dutch government.
The Prime Minister indicated that Thursday’s violence in Amsterdam would be discussed in the Council of Ministers on Monday and that the fight against anti-Semitism would be placed on the agenda on Tuesday. “In addition, I will meet on Tuesday with various Jewish associations and civil society organizations about the fight against anti-Semitism and the concerns that exist in this regard”he added.
Mr. Schoof also stated that he would be “gladly available” for a debate that the Dutch House of Representatives plans to hold in the near future regarding violence against Israelis.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also announced at the start of the week that he would not participate in the COP, due to the political crisis his government is currently facing. French President Emmanuel Macron, US President Joe Biden, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and IMF President Kristalina Georgieva will also not be present at the summit.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will also be absent, due to the ongoing transition within the Commission, including the hearings of future commissioners before the European Parliament.
Netherlands Amsterdam Israel Azerbaijan cop29
