BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 23. The decline of the Caspian Sea is a collective challenge that demands collective solutions, said the Representative of the President of Azerbaijan for Climate Issues and President of COP29, Mukhtar Babayev, at the Regional Ecological Summit 2026 in Astana, Trend reports.
"Azerbaijan hosted a high-level ministerial event on water decline in the Caspian Sea at COP29 in 2024 in Baku. This brought together the Caspian littoral states, UNEP, international organizations, and the donors to discuss regional cooperation and strategies. It was an important moment to bring the issue onto the global stage. The event concluded with the adoption of the Declaration of the littoral states, representing the first collective commitment to strengthen cooperation on this issue", he said.
Babayev noted that, building on this declaration, the Tehran Convention Secretariat prepared an action plan for 10 years, which provides a framework for coordinated measures.
He added that at Azerbaijan's request, UNEP also prepared and presented the working paper, Caspian Sea Level Fluctuations and Climate Change at COP29, highlighting the urgency of the crisis.
"At COP30 in Brazil, in Belém, Azerbaijan hosted the third consecutive ministerial dialogue on this issue, where a declaration was also adopted, making an important continuation of the collective efforts we began together", he said.
He emphasized the importance of involving all partners and called on the Caspian littoral states and international organizations to move from words to action.