A high-level roundtable on “Climate, Peace and Human Mobility” was organized at the UN Headquarters in New York as part of the UN General Assembly’s “High Level Week”, organized by the Azerbaijani presidency at COP29.
The American agency “Report” reports that the meeting was jointly organized by Azerbaijan, the president of COP29, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The session was attended by representatives of UN member states, representatives of UN agencies, ambassadors and diplomats.
The session was attended by Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Amy Pop, Advisor to the COP29 Presidency Negotiating Team, Elshad Iskanderov, Ambassador for Special Tasks of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Francesco Corvaro, Special Representative of the Italian Envoy for Climate Change, and Director General of the Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacebuilding and Peacebuilding of Egypt (CCPA), Ahmed Abdul-Latif.
Ambassador E. Iskanderov said in his speech that one of Azerbaijan’s priorities during the COP29 presidency is to contribute to international peace and security. That is why work is being done with international partners to call for a ceasefire on the eve of COP29. E. Iskanderov stressed that the areas where the world’s population is growing suffer from both climate change and conflicts, and in this regard, the event organized by Azerbaijan as the COP29 presidency at the UN headquarters in New York is aimed at providing practical support to the countries of the world. The diplomat noted that at Azerbaijan’s initiative, November 15 was designated as the “Day of Aid to Peace” and a series of events on the theme of peace will be held in Baku on those dates. At the same time, within the framework of COP29 in Azerbaijan, the “Baku Climate and Peace Center” will be established, which will contribute to the countries of the world in the future in the field of climate change and peace.
Speaking at the session, IOM Director General Amy Pop highly appreciated the promotion of the peace agenda in the COP process under the Azerbaijani presidency and expressed confidence that concrete results on this issue will be achieved within the framework of COP29. E. Pop spoke about the importance of international assistance to the world’s particularly vulnerable categories of the population, the importance of taking preventive measures so that climate change does not lead to future conflicts over clean water, air and fertile land. According to him, according to World Bank data, if preventive measures are not taken, as a result of climate changes occurring in many regions, by 2050 60 million people could be forced to migrate and leave their regions as climate migrants. E. Pop noted that this indicator sounds a serious alarm.
The meeting held important discussions on issues that are critical drivers of climate-related displacement, such as water scarcity, food security and land degradation. Panelists discussed current challenges and offered recommendations. The main outcome of the session was an exchange of views on how to bridge the gaps between climate and peace initiatives, exploring a platform for strengthening ties through joint activities. During the discussions, views were exchanged on Azerbaijan’s preparation for COP29, climate, peace and human mobility, which will be discussed at the international event organized in Baku, and the results that will be revealed in solving critical global problems that intersect with different dimensions of climate.
