Elshad Iskandarov is the ambassador and senior adviser to the COP29 Presidency. Early in his career, he co-founded the National Assembly of Youth Organizations of Azerbaijan, serving as its deputy chairman, and displaying his dedication to youth empowerment and civic engagement.
Iskandarov’s subsequent roles within the Azerbaijan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including first secretary at the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the UN, further honed his diplomatic skills and deepened his understanding of global issues.
His appointment as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in 2009 solidified his status as a respected representative of Azerbaijan on the international stage. The Climate Watch discussed climate action, peace relief, and other key issues in-depth with Iskandarov on the sidelines of COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
What is the Baku Call on Climate Action for Peace, Relief, and Recovery?
The Baku Call on Climate Action for Peace, Relief, and Recovery is a new initiative launched by the COP29 Presidency with co-lead partners in a joint initiative to address the critical intersection of climate change, conflict, and humanitarian needs.
Developed in partnership with Egypt, Italy, Germany, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom, this initiative seeks to promote peace-sensitive climate action.
It supports climate-vulnerable and conflict-affected regions by introducing collaborative solutions and establishing the Baku Climate and Peace Action Hub as a global coordination platform to tackle those issues.
Leaving no one behind is at the heart of our presidency’s vision, as COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev underlined, “With a disproportionate impact on the most at-risk communities, particularly in developing, lower-income, climate-vulnerable, and conflict-affected states, the Baku Call emphasizes the importance of peace-sensitive climate action.
“It also prioritizes support for the most vulnerable groups, including women, children, and youth, who bear the brunt of these intersecting crises.”
Why is the Baku Call so significant, and what sets it apart?
Climate change is a powerful risk multiplier exacerbating tensions over scarce resources, displacing communities, and destabilizing already fragile regions.
Without urgent action, the interplay between environmental degradation and conflict will continue to undermine global security and resilience.
The Baku Call is a pivotal step in recognizing and addressing how climate change can exacerbate conflicts and humanitarian crises. Its significance lies in its inclusive and transformative approach, bringing together nations from the Global North and South to tackle shared challenges.
Unlike previous initiatives, the Baku Call aligns various global efforts under a unified strategy and prioritizes practical solutions to issues like water scarcity, food insecurity, and land degradation.
The commitments offered in the Call are further reinforced through establishment of the Baku Climate and Peace Action Hub which will serve as a practical tool to deliver coordinated and impactful action.
How do Baku Climate and Peace Action Hub function, and what are its goals?
The Baku Climate and Peace Action Hub functions as a platform to unify efforts from national, regional, and international stakeholders. Hosted in Baku, it aims to foster collaboration, enhance funding for vulnerable regions, and drive the implementation of practical solutions to climate-induced challenges.
Its primary goal is to create synergies between existing peace and climate initiatives, namely the COP27 Climate Responses for Sustaining Peace (CRSP) Initiative, the COP28 Declaration on Climate, Relief, Recovery, and Peace (CRRP), Germany-led Climate for Peace Initiative (C4P), and the climate dimension of Italy’s Mattei Plan for Africa to meet needs of the climate and conflict vulnerable countries.
What are the expected outcomes of Baku Call?
The Baku Call is expected to generate a series of tangible outcomes designed as pilot projects, including stronger peace-sensitive climate actions that focus on protecting vulnerable communities, particularly women, children, and youth.
The establishment of The Baku Climate and Peace Action Hub is at the core of the call. As a platform for cooperation, its added value is creating a synergy between interested stakeholders to scale up finance for the most climate-vulnerable countries affected by conflicts.
As a center of excellence, it will do so by providing key turn services from expertise at design phase of pilot projects to facilitation of their implementation, to strengthening national capacities in the vulnerable settings.
The initiative also seeks to promote innovative practices in sustainable water management, climate-resilient agriculture, and land rehabilitation. Ultimately, the Baku Call aspires to transform the narrative around the climate and peace nexus, making it a driving force for global development and cooperation.
Which climate action urgencies should global leaders act on?
Climate change is the greatest challenge facing humanity, impacting everyone, especially the most vulnerable. COP29 serves as a critical litmus test for the Paris Agreement and global climate action, marking a defining chapter in humanity’s response to the climate crisis.
COP is a party-led process. The Presidency’s role is to bring them together, while they are responsible for the goals of the Paris Agreement and outcomes of the Global Stocktake.
We expect all parties and their leaders to honor their previous commitments, to enable climate action to match declared ambitions, and to contribute towards our agreed goals in a nationally determined manner.
