BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 9. Climate change is no longer just an environmental problem, but a serious threat to global peace and security, Azerbaijan's Deputy Foreign Minister and COP29 Chief Negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev said during a roundtable on "Peace-oriented climate action: urban solutions in fragile and conflict-affected areas" held as part of the Baku Climate Action Week, Trend's correspondent reports from the event.
He noted that the growth in the frequency and intensity of climate-related disasters, such as droughts, extreme weather events, and sea level rise, is creating serious consequences, especially for countries located in conflict-prone regions.
Rafiyev pointed out that, according to the World Bank, 40% of the population of the relevant countries is exposed to climate-related hazards. This is equivalent to 142 million households or 527 million people. At the same time, fragile and climate-vulnerable countries receive about $2.1 in adaptation financing per capita, which is significantly less than the $18.1 in non-fragile countries.
According to him, the fragmented and intermediary-dependent architecture of the global climate finance increases operational costs and slows down the delivery of support to communities that need it most.
"In this context, the COP29 Presidency has launched the Baku Climate Action Challenge for Peace, Relief and Recovery and established the Baku Climate and Peace Action Centre as a practical platform for developing cooperation on the climate-peace-development nexus," said Rafiyev.
The COP29 Chief Negotiator noted that one of the key components of the Centre's approach is the implementation of pilot projects to test integrated climate and peace solutions in practice and create scalable models for future investments.
He said that the implementation of pilot projects is coordinated through Joint Working Groups. These groups strengthen national ownership, facilitate coordination among stakeholders, and oversee the implementation of projects. Joint Working Groups have already been established with Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, and Chad.
Rafiyev highlighted the leadership and commitment of the government of Guinea-Bissau. He announced that all necessary documents for the pilot project in Guinea-Bissau have been prepared, and the project will be submitted to the Green Climate Fund Preparatory Program in the near future.
According to him, after COP29, the Baku Center has become a co-initiator of two more important international initiatives.
One of them is the "Smart, Sustainable Settlements for Safe Return Package (4SRP)" solutions initiative, which was put forward by the Azerbaijan State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture, UN-Habitat, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the Baku Center. The initiative serves to translate a broader approach to the climate-peace-development nexus into practical urban planning and recovery solutions.
Another initiative is the International Technical Assistance Program for the Inclusion of Small Island Developing States of Azerbaijan on the World Heritage List. Rafiyev said that the Baku Center is a partner in this initiative. The initiative aims to respond to the underrepresentation of Small Island Developing States on the UNESCO World Heritage List and the growing threats posed to their cultural and natural heritage by climate change and environmental degradation.
He noted that the Baku Center will continue to support climate action that takes into account peace and security issues and calls on countries, partners, and other stakeholders to join the center’s initiatives.
