President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev He addressed the participants of the Preliminary Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (Pre-COP29) held in Baku.
Oku.Az Referring to AZERTAC, it is indicated in the application:
“Dear Ministers,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I welcome you to the pre-COP event in Baku.
Climate change affects countries on all continents, but small island developing states are most vulnerable to its effects. This negatively affects people’s livelihoods globally and hinders progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Azerbaijan is no exception in this case. Every year we see that the water level in our rivers decreases and the level of the Caspian Sea decreases. Azerbaijan is also facing a water shortage.
Azerbaijan is taking bold steps to overcome these challenges. We are successfully implementing our socio-economic priority “clean environment and green development” at the national level. Azerbaijan has declared 2024 as the “Year of Solidarity for the Green World.”
Our rich wind and solar energy potential allows us to advance the renewable energy agenda. Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur, free from occupation and declared “green energy” zones, have sufficient renewable energy sources.
Azerbaijan also invests its revenues from oil and gas production in “green energy.” This clearly shows that our abundance of fossil energy does not hinder our efforts to promote the green agenda.
As a country whose share of global greenhouse gas emissions is only 0.1 percent, Azerbaijan is an example that countries with a lower share of emissions can make significant contributions to the fight against climate change.
Our commitment to supporting global climate action resulted in our nomination to host COP29.
I consider that the unanimous support given to Azerbaijan is a manifestation of the confidence of the international community in our country. We are proud that the first COP in the South Caucasus and the entire region is being held in Azerbaijan.
Although we have less than a year at our disposal, we have taken full responsibility and made notable achievements. The inclusive COP29 Organizing Committee, which includes women, parliamentarians and civil society representatives, ensures comprehensive preparations for the Baku COP event.
Guided by the motto “Solidarity for a green world”, the COP29 Presidency cooperates constructively and transparently with all stakeholders, carrying out numerous visits and listening to everyone to take into account their concerns.
We have prioritized addressing the challenges that climate change poses for small island developing states. Azerbaijan considers it a moral duty to help these States and support them both materially and politically, including within the framework of the United Nations organization.
The “Climate Troika” was established by the United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan and Brazil as chairs of COP28, COP29 and COP30 to ensure the sustainability of these efforts.
Azerbaijan has prepared an ambitious Action Agenda consisting of 14 initiatives on a number of other issues such as peace, finance, human capital and water. In the context of existing geopolitical tensions, the “COP ceasefire call” is gaining even more relevance.
It should be noted that in September this year, significant progress was made towards the operational start of the Loss and Damage Response Fund in Baku.
However, the main challenge before us is to agree on a fair and ambitious New Collective Quantitative Goal (NCQG) that meets the needs of developing States, least developed States and small island developing States. The new financial goal requires significant growth.
As president of COP29, neither Azerbaijan nor any other state can make decisions on behalf of others. Our role is to provide a platform to support negotiations and we believe we do so impartially. The innovative “Shamakhi consultations” initiated by Azerbaijan can serve as an effective informal format for further development of climate negotiations.
As we enter the final phase of preparations for COP29, I urge you to cooperate constructively and in good faith for the good of humanity. Although states have common but distinct responsibilities, they must put aside their differences, stop blaming each other and come to a common denominator. We have no right to waste time trying to figure out who is to blame for global warming or who is causing the most damage to the environment.
As has been repeatedly stressed, the Baku COP will be a decisive test for multilateralism. The international community cannot afford to fail and agreement must be reached on a New Collective Quantitative Goal (NCQG). I look forward to reaching the historic agreement – the “Baku Agreement” – at COP29, which will go down in history as our common success.
I cannot help but refer to the smear campaign of some media outlets, whose aim is to tarnish the image of Azerbaijan. These efforts are futile and cannot deter us from carrying out our noble mission of combating the negative effects of climate change.
I would like to welcome the Heads of State and Government to the Global Leaders Summit on Climate Action to be held in Baku from 12 to 13 November to work together in a spirit of solidarity for a green world.
“In the end, I hope that next month in Baku there will be effective discussions that will lead to successful results.”
