President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has addressed participants of the 2026 Pre-COP Leaders’ Event.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that the address reads:
“Your Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the governments of Fiji, Tuvalu and Australia for organizing this unique Pre-COP Leaders’ Event, which brings the global community to the forefront of efforts to tackle the climate crisis.
As a country that successfully hosted COP29, Azerbaijan joins this high-level event with an unwavering commitment to ensuring sustainability and advancing the global climate agenda. Our experience hosting a COP has once again confirmed that climate action can neither be postponed nor pursued in isolation. We are gathered here today to connect the legacy of Baku COP29 with the key decisions ahead and to ensure that the momentum built in Azerbaijan directly supports the path to a successful 31st session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), or COP31.
Holding this event in the Pacific region, particularly in Tuvalu and Fiji, where climate change is a daily reality, carries symbolic significance. No region on Earth is untouched by the effects of climate change today, but for some countries, such as Tuvalu, it poses an existential threat.
Although Azerbaijan faces climate-related challenges, including falling water levels in the Caspian Sea, water scarcity and frequent floods, we recognize that small island developing states (SIDS) are among those most exposed to the climate crisis. Despite contributing only a negligible share of global greenhouse gas emissions, these states are disproportionately affected by climate change, which damages their economies and infrastructure and destroys livelihoods and ecosystems.
Azerbaijan has advocated not only for the voices of countries facing the most severe consequences of this crisis to be heard, but also for them to contribute actively to shaping global climate policy. Addressing their specific vulnerabilities requires closer international cooperation and coordinated global action. Supporting small island developing states is our shared responsibility and a moral duty to ensure that no country is left behind.
During our COP29 presidency, we placed the priorities of small island developing states at the forefront and sought to keep their challenges in the international spotlight. Before COP29, the leaders of the Bahamas, Tonga and Tuvalu met in Azerbaijan. The visit resulted in the adoption of the Baku Communiqué, which highlighted the needs of small island developing states and called for stronger global climate action.
COP29 laid the foundation for a new stage in our relations with small island developing states. The Climate Change Leaders’ Summit of Small Island Developing States, held in Baku during COP29 in 2024, served as an important platform for raising awareness of the challenges these states face. At the summit, I called on all developed countries, particularly those with a colonial past, to substantially increase their contributions to supporting small island developing states in tackling climate change.
Alongside our multilateral cooperation, we have supported small island developing states through bilateral cooperation tailored to their national priorities and development needs. We have assisted a number of the world’s most disaster-prone countries in mitigating the effects of hurricanes, earthquakes and floods. We have also supported projects involving water supply, food security and the restoration of cultural heritage. More than 10 small island developing states have benefited from our Education Grant Program, enabling their citizens to study at universities in Azerbaijan.
As another important step toward strengthening the climate resilience of small island developing states, Azerbaijan and the Commonwealth signed a Joint Declaration in 2024. Azerbaijan is providing $10 million in assistance over five years to support climate action projects in these countries. Our cooperation with the Commonwealth also includes the use of satellite data provided by the Azerbaijan Space Agency, Azercosmos, for environmental monitoring and assessment.
Your Excellencies,
Although Azerbaijan is thousands of kilometers away from small island developing states, we are united by a shared determination to strengthen resilience to climate change. We have always stood in solidarity with small island developing states and will continue to support their efforts to achieve sustainable development and tackle climate change.
I hope this gathering will further amplify our collective voice and serve as an important step ahead of preparations for COP31 in Antalya. I would also like to take this opportunity to express Azerbaijan’s full support for the upcoming COP31 presidency of Türkiye and Australia and to say how much I value this unique partnership that brings together different continents.
I wish this event every success. Thank you.”
