President Aliyev reaffirms Azerbaijan’s commitment to green growth FULL ADDRESS

Azerbaijan is taking environmental responsibility seriously and implementing large-scale initiatives in the field of environmental safeguarding, President Ilham Aliyev said in an address to participants of World Environment Day (WED), held in Baku in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The president congratulated participants on World Environment Day and noted the significance of Azerbaijan hosting the global celebrations for the first time in the region, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

“Hosting these global celebrations for the first time in the region marks an important occasion for Azerbaijan. It reflects acknowledgment of Azerbaijan’s increasingly active role in raising environmental awareness at the international level and its contribution to collective efforts to protect our planet,” President Aliyev said.

The president stressed that environmental protection has become one of the shared responsibilities of the international community in the 21st century as countries confront the growing impacts of climate change and environmental degradation.

“Severe consequences of climate change increasing year by year, accelerating depletion of natural resources, including water, biodiversity loss, land degradation, pollution, extreme heat are among key interrelated processes that demand urgent measures,” he said.

According to President Aliyev, environmental challenges are having devastating consequences not only for ecosystems but also for sustainable development, public health, livelihoods and the prosperity of countries.

“The well-being of future generations depends on how effectively we address these challenges today,” he said.

Turning to Azerbaijan's efforts, the president said the country is actively pursuing environmental initiatives while facing its own climate-related challenges.

“In Azerbaijan, we take this responsibility seriously and are implementing large-scale initiatives in the field of environmental safeguarding,” Aliyev said.

He noted that Azerbaijan is witnessing an increasing frequency of both floods and droughts, while water scarcity remains a serious concern not only for the country but for the wider region.

“The decline in the level of the Caspian Sea approaching historic minimum level recorded over the past two centuries, is a clear indication of the severity of the problem,” he said.

Aliyev stated that the goal of creating a clean environment and a “green growth” country has been identified as one of the five key national priorities for Azerbaijan’s socio-economic development through 2030.

In line with that objective, the country is undertaking targeted measures to expand green spaces and forest areas, improve the efficient use of water resources and sustainable energy sources, and establish modern waste management infrastructure. The president also said Azerbaijan is expanding specially protected natural areas to preserve biodiversity.

Highlighting the country's environmental heritage, Aliyev said the Hyrcanian forests are “a unique forested massif which hosts many relicts, as well as regionally and locally endemic species of flora,” noting that they became the first natural site in Azerbaijan to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The president also addressed the environmental impact of the conflict in territories that remained under occupation for nearly three decades.

“Regrettably, for nearly 30 years our territories that remained under occupation were subjected to ecocide and urbicide. This led to the disruption of ecological balance in these areas. In addition, the large number of landmines buried in the formerly occupied territories continues to cause serious environmental damage to this day.

Immediately after the liberation of its territories, Azerbaijan launched large-scale reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in its Garabagh and East Zangezur economic regions. Rebuilding infrastructure in line with the “smart city” and “smart village” concepts, green energy projects and modern technologies will contribute to the ecosystem restoration,” he said.

He said Azerbaijan launched large-scale reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in the Garabagh and East Zangezur economic regions immediately after the liberation of its territories.

“Rebuilding infrastructure in line with the “smart city” and “smart village” concepts, green energy projects and modern technologies will contribute to the ecosystem restoration. At the same time, Garabagh and East Zangezur, officially declared as green energy zones, offer strong renewable energy potential, including solar, wind, and hydropower resources. Developing green energy is among Azerbaijan’s policy priorities,” he added.

Addressing the theme of this year’s World Environment Day, the president said the global call of “Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For our Future” draws attention to the urgent need to strengthen the nexus between climate action and nature.

“Today, climate crisis transcends borders, making it imperative to enhance international cooperation,” he said.

Aliyev highlighted Azerbaijan’s role in advancing climate diplomacy during its COP29 chairmanship, saying the country provided an important platform for multilateralism and helped strengthen global solidarity by building bridges between developing and developed countries.

“During its COP29 Chairmanship, Azerbaijan provided an important platform for climate diplomacy and multilateralism, as well as reinforced global solidarity building bridges between developing and developed countries. The “Baku breakthrough”, as Azerbaijan’s COP legacy, delivered historic decisions,” he said.

He added that Azerbaijan’s climate leadership has continued since COP29 and pointed to the recent hosting of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum.

According to the president, the forum, held just two weeks ago, was the largest ever on record and concluded with the adoption of the Baku Call to Action.

“The event culminated in the adoption of the Baku Call to Action which emphasized the need for strengthened international cooperation and concrete action to promote sustainable, affordable and climate-resilient housing for all,” he said.

Aliyev reaffirmed Azerbaijan’s commitment to advancing the global environmental agenda through multilateral cooperation.

“Azerbaijan will continue to play an active role in advancing the global environmental agenda by promoting multilateral cooperation with the aim of leaving future generations a green and sustainable legacy,” he added. 

Concluding his address, the president wished success to the event.