BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 9. Strengthening cooperation between the public and private sectors, creating more tools to encourage changes in individual behavior and ensuring independent assessment of climate policy implementation are essential in addressing climate change, former Prime Minister of Belgium Yves Leterme said, Trend's correspondent reports from the event.
He made the remark during the 2026 Baku Climate Action Week (BCAW 2026).
He noted that solving climate-related challenges requires mobilizing the decision-making potential of nearly 8 billion people. “We have made significant progress in mobilizing the potential of citizens to influence their behavior and decisions. Various tools used in people’s daily lives, including banking services, energy consumption monitoring and digital platforms, can contribute to achieving climate goals. However, there is still considerable potential in this area,” Leterme said.
According to him, COP31 could place greater focus on developing digital tools that influence citizens’ behavior and allow them to track the climate impact of their daily activities. “The private sector is the main driving force in this area. However, public institutions also have an important role in creating the legal framework, expanding incentives and ensuring access to these tools,” he added.
Leterme stressed that climate policy should focus not only on setting targets, but also on implementation and independent evaluation of results. “We know the problem, we have the tools and numerous solutions. Therefore, the main issue is the process. In this process, there is a lack of independent reporting on the actual situation, the results achieved, the quality of solutions and progress,” the former prime minister said.
He noted that independent assessment of countries’ efforts to achieve climate goals could increase transparency and public confidence in decision-making processes. “Within the framework of the IPCC, creating an opportunity to independently assess what each country and region is doing and how they are progressing towards their targets could be beneficial in terms of transparency and visibility,” Leterme said.
According to him, such assessments could also strengthen public engagement with climate policies and increase the legitimacy of decisions. “I would like to hear more about whether our country is performing well or poorly in addressing climate change. This is one of the most important issues in people’s daily lives. Independent annual assessments by various international institutions showing where countries stand could strengthen the legitimacy of decisions and ownership of public discussions,” he added.
Leterme also highlighted the importance of proposals by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) aimed at strengthening climate governance. “The OECD Action Plan on green governance contains very good proposals. I believe these proposals should be implemented to strengthen climate governance,” he said.
The former prime minister also praised Azerbaijan’s COP29 presidency and highlighted Türkiye’s role in preparations for COP31.
The third day of the Baku Climate Action Week 2026 (BCAW 2026) is underway.
The program of the third day will focus on issues such as the transition from climate commitments to concrete action, climate financing, youth participation in climate processes, artificial intelligence and climate technologies, energy efficiency, methane emissions reduction, water resources management, and cultural heritage protection.
Representatives of governments and international organizations, experts, financial institutions, the private sector, and civil society from various countries are attending the events.
Now in its third year, Baku Climate Action Week is being held in parallel with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Climate Week for the first time this year. The Fourth Climate Week and Baku Climate Action Week will feature a series of sessions, panel discussions and other events on climate change, climate finance, sustainable development and accelerating climate action.
BCAW 2026 will continue until September 11.
