BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 18. Azerbaijan is currently a party to more than 20 international environmental conventions and protocols, First Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Aghakarim Samadzade, said during a high-level panel session on enhancing the sustainability of the Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB) 2026 at the IsDB Group Annual Meeting in Baku, Trend's correspondent reports from the event.
"This demonstrates our strong commitment to the global environmental and climate agenda," he explained.
The deputy minister noted that COP29, held in Azerbaijan, was a significant milestone for the global climate agenda. Discussions focused on climate finance and the needs of developing countries.
“Sustainable development, climate action, and financing for development are among the most pressing issues on the global agenda today,” he said.
Samadzade noted that today the world is faced with challenges that are closely related to each other. “Climate change, biodiversity loss, water stress, food security, and social risks are no longer solely environmental issues,” he mentioned.
According to him, these factors directly affect the sustainability of economic growth, financial stability, poverty reduction, and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals worldwide.
“Therefore, sustainability issues must remain at the center of the global development agenda and continue to be one of the key priorities of international cooperation. For Azerbaijan, solving these problems is one of the key priorities of state policy. Sustainable development for us is not a separate direction. It is part of our national development vision,” said Samadzade.
