BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 11. Climate change not only has a severely negative impact on children’s physical health but also undermines their learning abilities, UNICEF Representative in Azerbaijan Saja Farooq Abdullah said at a panel discussion in Baku as part of the Pre-COP29 conference, Trend reports.
He voiced his support for addressing climate change among children and engaging them through education.
“The UNICEF office in Azerbaijan collaborates closely with the Ministry of Education, and together they have implemented several projects focused on green energy. In October, we will host a festival in partnership with the ministry. The STEM program supports children and adults in eight regions of Azerbaijan, helping them discover and develop their talents in science, technology, creativity, and innovative ideas in green technologies.
Moreover, on behalf of UNICEF, I would like to thank the Ministry of Science and Education for their forward-thinking approach to promoting STEM in the country and for your commitment to creating opportunities for all students to truly unleash their talents. I also want to congratulate the government of Azerbaijan on signing the Declaration on Children, Youth, and Climate Action during the Conference of Parties, and for its desire to join 50 other countries in committing to place children at the center of climate policy,” he said.
Notably, the second day of Pre-COP29 is taking place in Baku, featuring plenary sessions and parallel events.
To note, the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) will be held in Azerbaijan in November this year. The decision was made at the plenary meeting of COP28 held in Dubai on December 11 last year. Within two weeks, Baku, having become the center of the world, will host about 70,000-80,000 foreign guests.
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, which 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 the parties have decided otherwise, COP is held annually. The first COP event was held in March 1995 in Berlin, and its secretariat is located in Bonn.