Baku: Parvana Valiyeva, a member of Azerbaijan's Milli Majlis, participated in the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The event gathered officials, international organizations, experts, parliamentarians, and academic representatives from 196 countries to discuss desertification, land degradation, and drought.

According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, the Azerbaijani MP presented at the High-Level Parliamentary Forum, sharing Azerbaijan's strategies against land degradation and drought. Valiyeva emphasized the country's legal and policy frameworks for land, forest, and biodiversity protection, along with the National Drought Plan aimed at restoring 270,000 hectares of forestry by 2030 under the Bonn Challenge.

Valiyeva stressed the importance of ecological restoration in liberated territories, noting the challenges posed by mines, unexploded ordnance, and infrastructural damage. She participated in parliamentary discussions on collaboration between Trkiye's COP31 Presidency and the Rio Conventions.

The MP highlighted Azerbaijan's achievements during its COP29 presidency, focusing on the role of parliaments in enhancing environmental legislation. Azerbaijan was elected to the Central and Eastern European Regional Group of the Conference Bureau and the Vice-President of COP17, also chairing plenary discussions. The country concluded its chairmanship of the regional group for 2024-2026, with a decision for Azerbaijan to continue as co-chair.