BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 16. Efforts to establish a waste management system in accordance with modern standards have been undertaken in Azerbaijan's liberated territories, Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan Vugar Karimov said at the presentation of the "Third Environmental Performance Review (EPR) of Azerbaijan," prepared by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, within COP29 today, Trend reports.
According to him, much of the world's population suffers from water scarcity, and the problem is expected to worsen in the future.
He pointed out that within the framework of the Azerbaijani State Water Commission, large-scale initiatives are being implemented to ensure the efficient use of water resources, reduce losses, create new water sources, improve accounting, digitize management, and other areas.
"By the decree of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev dated October 10, 2024, the 'National Strategy for Rational Use of Water Resources' has been approved. The strategy's implementation aims to increase water resources, improve the provision of clean drinking and irrigation water, modernize management in this sector, and foster cooperation in line with international conventions.
Today, the main concern regarding air quality is linked to the rapid growth of the number of vehicles and the use of old cars, which in many cases do not meet environmental standards. To reduce emissions from the transport sector, measures are being taken to renew the country's vehicle fleet and expand the use of eco-friendly vehicles. Benefits are being provided for electric and hybrid cars, along with a differentiated approach to vehicle imports based on the year of manufacture.
Waste management is also a pressing issue. Baku has already achieved significant progress in managing household waste. In the regions, the construction of modern regional landfills and collection points is planned, as well as the rehabilitation of existing landfills," the deputy minister added.
To note, the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), which will run until November 22, opened at the Baku Olympic Stadium on November 11. It is the largest event organized by Azerbaijan to date and the first time in the region that it is being held in Azerbaijan.
Within COP29, the highest-level event - the summit of world leaders on climate action – was held on November 12–13.
The main expectation from COP29 is to agree on a fair and ambitious New Collective Quantitative Goal (NCQG) on climate finance. The COP29 chairmanship has launched 14 initiatives that include linkages between climate action and the Sustainable Development Goals, including green energy corridors, green energy storage, harmony for climate resilience, clean hydrogen, methane reduction in organic waste, action on green digital technologies, and other topics.
In addition to being a top priority that creates the conditions for action, creating climate finance will also help fulfill the 1.5°C pledge by bringing everyone together.
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is an agreement signed at the Rio Earth Summit in June 1992 to prevent dangerous human interference in the climate system. The acronym COP (Conference of Parties) stands for “Conference of Parties” and is the highest legislative body overseeing the implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change.
A total of 198 countries are parties to the Convention. Unless otherwise decided by the parties, COP is held annually. The first COP event was held in March 1995 in Berlin, and its secretariat is located in Bonn.
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