GENEVA: Azerbaijan and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) are collaborating to organize a Parliamentary Conference as part of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, taking place in Geneva, Switzerland. According to Trend News Agency, the preparatory discussions were held during a meeting between Sahiba Gafarova, the Chair of the Azerbaijani Parliament, who is currently on a working visit in Geneva, and Martin Chungong, the Secretary General of the IPU. The meeting also addressed ongoing cooperation issues between Azerbaijan's parliament and the IPU. The statement from the Azerbaijani parliament emphasized that the parliament actively engages with international parliamentary structures, both bilaterally and multilaterally, and values the strengthening of ties with the IPU. The successful joint organization of events has reportedly paved the way for further deepening of this cooperation. Chungong expressed his appreciation for Azerbaijan's active participation in the organization. The meeting underscored the belief that the upcoming parliamentary conference will play a pivotal role in supporting the activities of COP29. It aims to facilitate the exchange of views and enable parliamentarians to present new proposals and ideas in combating climate change. This November, Azerbaijan will host COP29 following a decision made during the COP28 plenary meeting in Dubai on December 11 last year. Baku is expected to become a focal point for global discussions on climate change, with an anticipated 70-80,000 foreign visitors. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, established at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992, seeks to prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system. The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the supreme decision-making body of the Convention, which includes 198 member countries. Unless decided otherwise, the COP meets annually, with the first session having taken place in March 1995 in Berlin, Germany.