The event, titled “Caspian Sea Level Decline: Joint Efforts toward Preservation and Resilience,” took place at the Azerbaijan Pavilion on the sidelines of the conference in Belém, Brazil, News.Az reports, citing local media.
Organized by the COP29 Presidency, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, and the Tehran Convention Secretariat, the event aimed to promote a coordinated regional action plan for monitoring, climate adaptation, and international support. The initiative seeks to strengthen resilience across the Caspian basin while contributing to COP30’s global agenda on water and oceans.
The meeting brought together senior representatives from the five littoral states, alongside key partners from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).
In his remarks, Mukhtar Babayev, COP29 President and the Azerbaijani President’s Representative on Climate Issues, highlighted the consequences of the Caspian Sea level decline on ecosystems, coastal infrastructure, economic activity, and the livelihoods of coastal communities. He emphasized that Azerbaijan is committed to using all available means to protect the Caspian, including strengthening regional collaboration among littoral states and mobilizing global expertise, funding, and support.
Speeches were also delivered by Azerbaijani Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Umayra Taghiyeva, representatives from Iran, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan, as well as officials from UNEP, WMO, and UN-Habitat.
The event concluded with the adoption of the Declaration of Ministers and High-Level Representatives of the Caspian Littoral States on Enhancing Cooperation on the Decline of the Caspian Sea Level, reaffirming their commitment to joint action.
