Azerbaijan plans to expand its support for small island developing states (SIDS).
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov made the remarks at the Conference on Strengthening Global Solidarity through Humanitarian Assistance and Cooperation for Development, held to mark the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Azerbaijan International Development Agency (AIDA).
He said that, within this framework, initiatives aimed at protecting cultural heritage, implemented jointly with UNESCO, would be added to projects in sustainable development and combating climate change.
Bayramov said Azerbaijan attaches particular importance to the development of SIDS and had allocated significant resources to strengthening their climate resilience in partnership with the Commonwealth Secretariat: “The support includes projects on ocean protection, the development of climate technologies and the implementation of national solutions. We intend to expand this cooperation to the protection of cultural heritage as well.”
He noted that relevant work would also be carried out within the framework of a recently announced joint initiative with UNESCO aimed at strengthening the capacity of small island developing states to preserve and promote their heritage.
The minister also emphasized that Azerbaijan was working to align its assistance with international standards and increase its transparency: “Since 2015, we have submitted annual reports on official development assistance to the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Since 2019, Azerbaijan has held participant status in the Committee.”
