BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 13. An event titled
“Clean Air, Healthy Cities: From Urban Planning to Climate Action”
was held at the 31st session of the Conference of the Parties to
the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31), in
partnership with the IDEA Public Union and the United Nations Human
Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).
Participants were first shown a short documentary film prepared
by IDEA on the importance of clean air in urban environments.
Speaking at the opening of the event, Vice-President of the
Heydar Aliyev Foundation and founder and head of the IDEA Public
Union Leyla Aliyeva discussed the impact of air pollution on human
health and emphasized the importance of taking environmental
factors into account in developing healthier and more sustainable
cities.
Leyla Aliyeva also highlighted Azerbaijan’s experience in
sustainable urban development, including measures to expand green
spaces and promote environmentally friendly transport. She noted
the role of the IDEA Public Union’s “Our Courtyard” project,
tree-planting campaigns and other initiatives aimed at greening
urban areas.
Speaking at the event, COP29 President and Representative of the
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Climate Issues Mukhtar
Babayev underscored the link between improving air quality and
combating climate change. He stressed the importance of
strengthening international cooperation to reduce harmful emissions
in cities, develop sustainable transport systems and promote
environmentally friendly technologies.
Addressing the official part of the event, Director of the
UN-Habitat Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Erfan Ali highlighted issues related to air quality monitoring,
reducing harmful emissions, improving environmental governance in
cities and applying international best practices in this field.
The event continued with a panel discussion moderated by
Patricia Scotland, a member of the UK House of Lords and the Nizami
Ganjavi International Center. The panel featured Robb Butler, a
University of Copenhagen representative and expert on climate and
health issues; Timur Sabitov, Deputy Director of the National
Center for Climate Change under the Ministry of Ecology,
Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of
Uzbekistan; and Renee Gift, a legal specialist in air quality
regulation and management at the UN Environment Programme
(UNEP).
The panelists exchanged views on reducing air pollution,
developing environmentally friendly transport systems, integrating
green infrastructure into urban development and the positive
effects of climate change mitigation measures on human health.
The event highlighted the importance of strengthening
international cooperation, applying sustainable urban planning
principles and aligning climate policies with public health
measures to improve air quality and create healthier urban
environments.
