Azerbaijan’s ecology minister, GEF chief discuss COP29 achievements in Baku

Azerbaijan’s Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Mukhtar Babayev, met with Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, CEO of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), to discuss the historic outcomes achieved at COP29 in Baku.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of COP16 in Riyadh, Caliber.Az reports, citing the official COP29 X page.

Discussions centred around climate financing, strengthening cooperation, and promoting global initiatives to restore degraded lands and enhance resilience to drought.

Note that, the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) commenced in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December 2.

Running until December 13, the conference aims to strengthen global cooperation on sustainable land management, building on the achievements of COP29 in Baku. Discussions will focus on tackling desertification, land degradation, and drought through a people-centred approach.

Marking UNCCD's 30th anniversary, COP16 is the largest UN land conference to date and the first held in the Middle East and North Africa – a region acutely affected by land challenges.

It is expected to drive investment and action towards land restoration and drought resilience for the benefit of both people and the planet.

By Aghakazim Guliyev