Azerbaijan to provide $10 million in climate aid to island states

Azerbaijan is providing $10 million over five years to support projects addressing climate change in developing small island states.

Operative Information Center-OMM reports that President Ilham Aliyev made the remarks in an address to participants in the 2026 Pre-COP Leaders’ Event.

The head of state said COP29 had laid the foundation for a new phase in relations with developing small island states:

“The Leaders’ Summit on Climate Change 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 significantly increase their contributions to supporting small island developing states in tackling climate change.”

President Ilham Aliyev added that, alongside multilateral cooperation, Azerbaijan had supported developing small island states through bilateral cooperation tailored to their national priorities and development needs:

“We supported a number of the world’s most disaster-prone countries in mitigating the effects of hurricanes, earthquakes and floods. We also supported projects involving water supply, food security and the restoration of cultural heritage. More than 10 developing small island states benefited from our Education Grant Program, enabling their citizens to study at universities in Azerbaijan.”

The head of state said that, as another important step toward strengthening the climate resilience of developing small island states, Azerbaijan and the Commonwealth signed a joint declaration in 2024.

“Azerbaijan is providing $10 million over five years to support projects addressing climate change in these countries. Our cooperation with the Commonwealth also envisages the use of satellite data provided by the Azerbaijan Space Agency, Azercosmos, for environmental monitoring and assessment.”