UN report highlights Azerbaijan's shift toward sustainability, calls for more green investments

Over the past 13 years, Azerbaijan has taken significant steps to improve its environmental situation, particularly as it hosts the global climate event of the year, COP29. However, according to the third Environmental Performance Review (EPR), presented on November 16 by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) at the UN Climate Conference (COP29) in Baku, the country still faces several critical challenges.

The report evaluates progress since the previous EPR in 2011 and offers 78 recommendations for further enhancing the country’s environmental effectiveness.

Tatiana Molchan, Executive Secretary of UNECE, emphasized: "The third EPR demonstrates Azerbaijan's commitment to continuous improvement in its environmental situation. The review includes a series of political and practical recommendations that will help the country implement low-carbon strategies, reduce pollution, and improve waste management."

Key Improvements

Since 2011, Azerbaijan has updated its environmental legislation, developed comprehensive policy frameworks, and established intersectoral governance structures, such as the National Coordination Council for Sustainable Development and the Water Management Commission. There has been significant progress in creating protected areas and advancing environmental education.

New measures have also been implemented in agriculture, which employs 37% of the country’s workforce, along with programs aimed at reducing rural poverty and increasing the resilience of the sector.

Environmental Priorities

The report calls for strengthening the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources capacity, improving environmental impact assessment mechanisms, establishing a legal foundation for water resource management based on basin principles, updating the National Solid Waste Management Strategy, and developing a National Action Plan to combat desertification.

It also suggests creating an integrated environmental monitoring system to provide high-quality information essential for strategic planning and control. The need to improve access to environmental information and increase public participation in decision-making, in line with the Aarhus Convention, was also emphasized.

Advancing Low-Carbon Strategies

Azerbaijan has significantly reduced its dependency on the oil sector, increasing the share of the non-oil sector from 48.8% to 62.2% of GDP between 2011 and 2021. However, the country’s energy balance remains reliant on fossil fuels, which supply 98% of its primary energy and more than 90% of electricity generation. The report recommends further developing “green” investments and reducing government subsidies for fossil fuels.

By Tamilla Hasanova