BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 22. The decline of the
Caspian Sea is a collective challenge that demands collective
solutions, said the Representative of the President of Azerbaijan
for Climate Issues and President of COP29, Mukhtar Babayev, at the
Regional Ecological Summit 2026 in Astana, Trend reports.
"Azerbaijan hosted a high-level ministerial event on water
decline in the Caspian Sea at COP29 in 2024 in Baku. This brought
together the Caspian littoral states, UNEP, international
organizations, and the donors to discuss regional cooperation and
strategies. It was an important moment to bring the issue onto the
global stage. The event concluded with the adoption of the
Declaration of the littoral states, representing the first
collective commitment to strengthen cooperation on this issue", he
said.
Babayev noted that, building on this declaration, the Tehran
Convention Secretariat prepared an action plan for 10 years, which
provides a framework for coordinated measures.
He added that at Azerbaijan's request, UNEP also prepared and
presented the working paper, Caspian Sea Level Fluctuations and
Climate Change at COP29, highlighting the urgency of the
crisis.
"At COP30 in Brazil, in Belém, Azerbaijan hosted the third
consecutive ministerial dialogue on this issue, where a declaration
was also adopted, making an important continuation of the
collective efforts we began together", he said.
He emphasized the importance of involving all partners and
called on the Caspian littoral states and international
organizations to move from words to action.
