President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev addressed the participants of Pre-COP Leaders’ Event 2026. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the Governments of Fiji, Tuvalu and Australia for convening this unique Pre-COP Leaders’ Event which brings the global community directly to the frontlines of climate crisis. As the proud host country of COP29, Azerbaijan joins this high-level event with a deep sense of continuity and unwavering commitment to advancing the global climate agenda.
Our COP experience further confirmed that climate action can neither be delayed, nor achieved in isolation. We stand here today to bridge the Baku COP29 legacy with the key decisions ahead, ensuring that the momentum built in Azerbaijan directly supports the path toward a successful 31st Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31). It is profoundly symbolic that this gathering is convened in the Pacific, specifically in Tuvalu and Fiji, countries for which climate change is a daily reality.
Today no region on the Earth is spared from the consequences of climate change, but for some of them like Tuvalu, it presents an existential threat. While Azerbaijan is facing its own climate-related challenges, such as shrinking of the Caspian Sea, water scarcity and frequent floods, we recognize that Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are the most exposed to the climate crisis. Despite their negligible contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions, climate change disproportionately affects their economies and infrastructure, destroys livelihoods and ecosystems.
Azerbaijan has consistently advocated for ensuring that the voices of those bearing the brunt of this crisis are not only heard but also actively shape global climate policy. Addressing these countries’ unique vulnerabilities requires enhanced international cooperation and coordinated global action. Supporting SIDS is a shared responsibility and a moral imperative to ensure that no country is left behind.
We placed the priorities of SIDS at the forefront of our COP29 Presidency and aimed to keep their concerns high on the international agenda. Ahead of COP29 Azerbaijan hosted the leaders of the Bahamas, Tonga and Tuvalu. This visit culminated in the adoption of the Baku Communique emphasizing the needs of SIDS and calling for stronger global climate action.
COP29 marked a new stage in our relations with SIDS. Leaders’ Summit of the Small Islands Developing States on Climate Change, held on the sidelines of COP29 in 2024 in Baku, provided an important platform to raise awareness of the challenges facing SIDS. At the Summit, I called on all developed countries, especially those with a colonial past, to significantly increase their contributions to assist SIDS in combatting climate change.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
