BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 9. Strengthening
cooperation between the public and private sectors, creating more
tools to encourage changes in individual behavior and ensuring
independent assessment of climate policy implementation are
essential in addressing climate change, former Prime Minister of
Belgium Yves Leterme said, Trend's correspondent reports from the event.


He made the remark during the 2026 Baku Climate Action Week
(BCAW 2026).


He noted that solving climate-related challenges requires
mobilizing the decision-making potential of nearly 8 billion
people. “We have made significant progress in mobilizing the
potential of citizens to influence their behavior and decisions.
Various tools used in people’s daily lives, including banking
services, energy consumption monitoring and digital platforms, can
contribute to achieving climate goals. However, there is still
considerable potential in this area,” Leterme said.


According to him, COP31 could place greater focus on developing
digital tools that influence citizens’ behavior and allow them to
track the climate impact of their daily activities. “The private
sector is the main driving force in this area. However, public
institutions also have an important role in creating the legal
framework, expanding incentives and ensuring access to these
tools,” he added.


Leterme stressed that climate policy should focus not only on
setting targets, but also on implementation and independent
evaluation of results. “We know the problem, we have the tools and
numerous solutions. Therefore, the main issue is the process. In
this process, there is a lack of independent reporting on the
actual situation, the results achieved, the quality of solutions
and progress,” the former prime minister said.


He noted that independent assessment of countries’ efforts to
achieve climate goals could increase transparency and public
confidence in decision-making processes. “Within the framework of
the IPCC, creating an opportunity to independently assess what each
country and region is doing and how they are progressing towards
their targets could be beneficial in terms of transparency and
visibility,” Leterme said.


According to him, such assessments could also strengthen public
engagement with climate policies and increase the legitimacy of
decisions. “I would like to hear more about whether our country is
performing well or poorly in addressing climate change. This is one
of the most important issues in people’s daily lives. Independent
annual assessments by various international institutions showing
where countries stand could strengthen the legitimacy of decisions
and ownership of public discussions,” he added.


Leterme also highlighted the importance of proposals by the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) aimed
at strengthening climate governance. “The OECD Action Plan on green
governance contains very good proposals. I believe these proposals
should be implemented to strengthen climate governance,” he
said.







The former prime minister also praised Azerbaijan’s COP29
presidency and highlighted Türkiye’s role in preparations for
COP31.


The third day of the Baku Climate Action Week 2026 (BCAW 2026)
is underway.


The program of the third day will focus on issues such as the
transition from climate commitments to concrete action, climate
financing, youth participation in climate processes, artificial
intelligence and climate technologies, energy efficiency, methane
emissions reduction, water resources management, and cultural
heritage protection.


Representatives of governments and international organizations,
experts, financial institutions, the private sector, and civil
society from various countries are attending the events.


Now in its third year, Baku Climate Action Week is being held in
parallel with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) Climate Week for the first time this year. The Fourth
Climate Week and Baku Climate Action Week will feature a series of
sessions, panel discussions and other events on climate change,
climate finance, sustainable development and accelerating climate
action.


BCAW 2026 will continue until September 11.