President Ilham Aliyev receives UN Under-Secretary-General, Executive Director of UN Environment Program [VIDEO]

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme Inger Andersen, Azernews reports.

Inger Andersen conveyed her congratulations to Azerbaijan on hosting COP29. She said that Azerbaijan would become a center, where the whole world comes together to engage in discussions on global climate change. The UN Under-Secretary-General emphasized the significance of COP29 to be hosted by Azerbaijan, adding that this event will see adoption of very serious and important decisions in terms of submission of financial and transparency reports and other parameters related to climate change.

Noting that Azerbaijan’s hosting of COP29 truly testifies to the embodiment and example of the country’s leadership on climate change, Inger Andersen described the creation of the "Troika" mechanism as a crucial step and conveyed her congratulations for this wise decision.

The UN Under-Secretary-General mentioned that the world is transitioning from fossil fuel to a new type of fuel. Describing attempts to criticize oil and gas exporting countries as unfair, Inger Andersen said she personally does not regard it as fair. She emphasized that every person in the world needs this form of energy.

Emphasizing that Azerbaijan has demonstrated strong political will in terms of green climate and green transition, Inger Andersen noted that the steps undertaken by Azerbaijan with regard to global methane pledge, decarbonization, modernization of the oil and gas industry are important.

The UN Under-Secretary-General hailed and conveyed her congratulations for the environmental measures implemented at the national level in Azerbaijan. She particularly commended the development of the digital and "smart agriculture" concept, waste management, measures to protect the environment, the ecological environment of the Caspian Sea and biodiversity, and other areas. Inger Andersen praised the declaration of 2024 as the " Green World Solidarity Year" in Azerbaijan.

Inger Andersen noted that as part of her visit to the country she also met with the environmental volunteers and young people from IDEA - a youth organization operating in the field of environment. She also mentioned her visit to the Shirvan National Park.

Inger Andersen noted the expansion of cooperation between UNEP and Azerbaijan, announcing that World Environment Day would be celebrated in Azerbaijan on June 5, 2026, under the auspices of UNEP, emphasizing its significance as one of the most important global environmental events.

President Ilham Aliyev thanked her for the kind words and hailed the cooperation between UNEP and Azerbaijan, Andersen’s observations of the ecological environment, meetings with youth during her tour of the regions.

Despite being an oil and gas exporting country, the head of state highlighted Azerbaijan's plans to transition to green energy, demonstrating the country's political will.

The President considered the unanimous support of nearly 200 countries for Azerbaijan's presidency of COP29 as a sign of trust in the country. The Azerbaijani leader stated that Azerbaijan’s Presidency of COP29 would contribute to building bridges, trust, and solidarity among world nations.

President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that Azerbaijan represents the Global South and, as the chair of the Non-Aligned Movement in 2019-2023 with strong ties to EU countries, will work to strengthen solidarity on climate change between the Global South and the Global North.

The President noted that Azerbaijan has identified the issues of small island states as a priority and is closely working on this issue with the "Troika" countries.

President Ilham Aliyev mentioned that Azerbaijan is also suffering from climate change, observing that while the country used to experience droughts and decreased rainfall, there has recently been an increase in precipitation.

During the conversation, there was an exchange of views on waste management, environmental issues concerning the Caspian Sea, its decreasing water levels, and the need for more systematic work and cooperation in these areas.