EU envoy highlights support for Azerbaijan’s municipalities under Covenant of Mayors Initiative

The European Union is proud to support Azerbaijani municipalities that have joined the Covenant of Mayors through training, methodological guidance, dedicated technical assistance, best-practice sharing, networking and awareness-raising activities, EU Ambassador to Azerbaijan Marijana Kujundži? said at an event held in Nakhchivan on the Covenant of Mayors – Eastern Partnership initiative.

As reported by AzerNEWS, speaking at the event, the ambassador underscored the critical role cities play in delivering concrete climate and energy results, encouraging more Azerbaijani municipalities to join what she described as Europe’s largest movement of local governments committed to combating climate change and ensuring a better future for citizens. She noted that nearly 12,000 local authorities have already voluntarily committed to the EU’s vision of a climate-neutral, resilient and just future.

The Covenant of Mayors - Eastern Partnership is funded by the European Union and supports local and regional authorities in Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine in developing and implementing sustainable energy and climate policies.

In Azerbaijan, the first municipality to join the initiative was Icherisheher in 2012. It was later followed by Ganja, Quzanli, Horadiz, Khirdalan, Mingachevir, Shamakhi, Sheki and Yevlakh, which have since become active participants in the program. The national coordinator of the initiative in Azerbaijan is the Ministry of Energy.

The Covenant of Mayors – Eastern Partnership is part of the broader Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, the world’s largest alliance of cities committed to climate leadership. The global initiative brings together more than 13,500 cities and local governments across six continents and 147 countries, representing over 1.2 billion people.