Muslim Council of Elders lauds Azerbaijan's climate initiatives, with UN chief urging updated plans Baku Global Summit of Religious Leaders

The Muslim Council of Elders praised Azerbaijan's initiatives in combating climate change, emphasizing that the actions of religious leaders are crucial for advancing climate action and achieving climate justice.

At the Baku Global Summit of Religious Leaders, Council Chairman Mohamed Abdelsalam emphasized the importance of interfaith dialogue for peacebuilding. UN Secretary-General António Guterres also addressed participants via video, highlighting the need for cooperation among religious communities to tackle global issues. The summit began on November 5, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

Abdelsalam expressed confidence that the summit, led by Sheikh-ul-Islam, Haji Allahshukur Pashazade, Chairman of the Caucasian Muslims Office, would be impactful, calling for regular gatherings to advance urgent climate efforts.

Meanwhile, in a video address, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged summit attendees to advocate for robust climate actions.

He warned that extreme temperatures, fires, droughts, and floods continue to devastate vulnerable populations globally, underscoring the need for updated national climate plans by next year to keep global warming within 1.5 degrees.

Guterres emphasized the importance of climate justice, calling for increased financial support for developing nations and the creation of a well-funded loss and damage fund to support communities hit hardest by climate disasters.

The Global Summit of Religious Leaders, themed “World Religions for a Green Planet,” underway in Baku as part of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Initiated and supported by President Ilham Aliyev, the summit is co-organized by Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the State Committee on Work with Religious Institutions, the Muslim Council of Elders, the Caucasus Muslims Office, and the United Nations Environment Programme.

The two-day summit brings together nearly 30 leaders from world and traditional religions, heads of prominent religious centres, including patriarchs, officials from the Vatican and Al-Azhar, and notable religious and public figures from various continents and faiths. Representatives from 55 countries and 30 international organizations are attending, including state, academic, religious figures, and media representatives.

By Khagan Isayev