Baku: The third day of Baku Climate Action Week took place in the capital of Azerbaijan, Trend reports. The event featured speeches by the President of COP29, the Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Climate Issues, Mukhtar Babayev, the Minister of Agriculture of Azerbaijan, Majnun Mammadov, and other officials. The event discussed topics such as agriculture and food security, with a focus on climate change, climate technologies, and sustainable management of regional water resources.
According to Trend News Agency, Mukhtar Babayev, the COP29 President and Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Climate Issues, outlined Azerbaijan’s climate agenda priorities. He emphasized that agriculture is particularly sensitive to climate change and highlighted the urgent need to address environmental issues related to water resources and the Caspian Sea. Babayev mentioned that more than 60 countries have joined the COP29 Declaration on Water and Climate Action presented by Azerbaijan. As part of this initiative, the Baku Dialogue on Water and Climate was launched to strengthen international cooperation.
In his speech, Minister of Agriculture Majnun Mammadov revealed that Azerbaijan is developing a digital roadmap to incorporate artificial intelligence into agriculture. The roadmap includes over 30 practical solutions, such as soil monitoring, plant variety mapping, yield forecasting, and water-saving irrigation. Mammadov emphasized that smart agriculture should align with sustainable water and land management, and highlighted investments in modernizing irrigation systems to conserve water.
Zaur Mikayilov, Chairman of the State Water Resources Agency of Azerbaijan, noted that by 2023, Azerbaijan aims to meet about 90 percent of the country’s total water needs, expand wastewater treatment services, and introduce loss-free water resource management. The goal is to increase water use efficiency in agriculture to 95 percent.
World Bank representative in Azerbaijan Stefanie Stallmeister stressed the importance of strengthening regional cooperation in transboundary water management. She pointed out that 70 percent of Azerbaijan’s water resources originate from transboundary sources, which increases the country’s dependence on other nations and underscores the need for regional cooperation.
The COP29 Presidency, in collaboration with London, effectively conducted the inaugural “Baku Climate Action Week,” aiming to engage the entire society in preparation for COP29 scheduled for November 2024.