BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 10. The availability of financial resources alone is not sufficient to implement climate projects on the ground, as cities and regions also need the necessary capacities and access to financing, Director of the Climate Diplomacy Department at Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Elchin Allahverdiyev said, Trend's correspondent reports from the event.
He made the remarks during his speech at the Baku Climate Action Week.
“Urban systems, particularly cities and regions, primarily need financing to design and develop projects based on their own needs. However, the mere availability of funding is not enough to implement specific actions on the ground. International financial resources available through various international financial mechanisms do not always provide cities and regions with easy access to these funds. We need coherence and closer alignment between national climate plans, national development strategies and local investment priorities in urban development so that they are synchronized and respond to the needs of local communities,” Allahverdiyev said.
Allahverdiyev also emphasized the need to strengthen the capacity of cities and regions to develop projects that can attract available international financing.
According to Allahverdiyev, international financial institutions and local partners should participate in building the capacity of cities and regions to ensure their access to available financial resources. “Another important element is the involvement of the academic community and technology. At the national level, governments have easier and more flexible access to innovative technologies and other similar resources. At the local level, cities and regions should also be provided with opportunities to work with climate and urban aspects of this system,” he said.
Moreover, Allahverdiyev noted that during Azerbaijan’s COP29 presidency, attention was paid to the insufficient representation of the urban climate agenda on official platforms of climate conferences. “When we, as the COP29 presidency, began working on our initiatives, we understood that the climate agenda, particularly the urban climate agenda, was insufficiently represented on the official platforms of climate conferences, including COP,” he said.
According to the Azerbaijani official, turning COP31 into a new impetus for cities and urban systems is of great importance. “Azerbaijan, as a former COP presidency country, plays a key role in maintaining this important element on the agenda not only across various international platforms, but also within our own activities, various urban forums inside the country, as well as in promoting this process and engaging with other local stakeholders,” Allahverdiyev added.
