Argentine President Javier Milei ordered the withdrawal of Argentina’s delegation on the third day of the UN Climate Summit (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, sparking surprise and “major shock” among international delegations. 

At least three officials from the Foreign Ministry and the Secretariat for Environment, Tourism, and Sports were instructed from Buenos Aires to suspend their activities, leave the summit, and return home. Even Argentina’s ambassador to Baku, Mariángeles Bellusci, who attended the opening ceremony, received the same directive. 

The official delegation was unable to enter the Olympic Stadium where COP29 is held, waiting for instructions from Buenos Aires to proceed with their agenda.  

Their goal was to attend debates, listen, and engage with climate change experts from other countries and NGOs, but they were barely able to perform their duties. 

Milei: an ideology against climate change

The withdrawal coincided with the presentation of an international award by the Global Center for Adaptation (GCA) to four projects tackling extreme climate events. Argentina’s winning initiative, led by the Latin American branch of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) in Villa Lugano, Buenos Aires, was recognized for using nature-based solutions to mitigate heat waves in the local community. 

Sources at the summit reported that Milei’s order shocked the negotiation groups Argentina participates in, including the Southern bloc with Brazil, Uruguay, Ecuador, and Paraguay, and the G77 plus China.

The move reflects the president’s stance against climate change policies, similar to that of United States President Donald Trump, whom Milei is set to visit in Florida. 

Unlike outgoing President Joe Biden, Trump has threatened again to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. However, experts note that Argentina cannot exit the treaty immediately; the country ratified it in 2016, and formal withdrawal would take one year. Milei’s decision is a political gesture that raises international tensions and questions Argentina’s role in global climate diplomacy.