The third day of the international conference within the framework of “Climate Action Weeks“, dedicated to COP29.
As Day.Az reports with reference to Trend, the main topic of the third day of the conference was the “Green” economy: solving the problems of skills, financing and just transition.”
Panel discussions featured high-level UN climate chief at COP29 Nigyar ArpadaraiMinister of Labor and Social Protection of Azerbaijan Sahil BabaevWorld Bank Country Manager for Azerbaijan Stephanie StollmeisterChairman of the Board of the International Bank of Azerbaijan Abbas Ibrahimov and other officials.
As UN high-level climate leader Nigar Arpadarai said at COP29, international cooperation will be an important tool in ensuring the global flow of green capital.
“Financing has a huge role to play in accelerating the transition. The scale of investment needed is enormous: we need trillions of dollars to support clean energy, sustainable infrastructure and green technology projects around the world. And all this must happen in a way that allows access to All countries had access to funding, especially those most vulnerable to climate change,” she added.
Azerbaijani Minister of Labor and Social Protection Sahil Babayev said that Azerbaijan actively supports efforts to minimize carbon dioxide emissions and increase the level of recycling, striving to make this process as comfortable and painless as possible for all participants in economic activity.
“In the context of the rapid transition to a green economy, which is especially relevant for Azerbaijan, one of the most important issues remains the impact of this transformation on the development of human capital and social policy. This requires the introduction of advanced and creative approaches to economic management. Currently, there are new challenges that require immediate solutions. The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, rising unemployment, extremism, international organized crime, separatism and financial crises continue to negatively impact millions of people around the world. Socially vulnerable groups are particularly vulnerable in this context: people. with disabilities, women, youth and those employed in the informal economy. The modern international security system is also undergoing fundamental changes, which leads to the emergence of new risks and threats. In light of these changes, the transition to a green economy is inevitable if the global community seeks to reduce. the impact of climate change on the global economy and minimize the effects of global warming,” he said.
And the World Bank country manager for Azerbaijan, Steffi Stallmeister, noted that the “green” transition opens up new opportunities for Azerbaijan to modernize the labor market.
Stallmeister emphasized that Azerbaijan was among the leaders in improving indicators in the World Bank Human Capital Index in the period from 2010 to 2020.
“These are significant achievements. Access to education in Azerbaijan is universal. One of the key issues in the educational system is the need to prepare Azerbaijan’s youth for new challenges in the transition to a green economy. Another important aspect is healthcare. As in most countries, a significant number of diseases result to high rates of loss of health and life. Here, Azerbaijan, like many other countries, can learn a lot from its neighbors and partners in order to more effectively use human capital. The “Green” transition opens up new opportunities for Azerbaijan to modernize the labor market,” she said. she.
As Rena Gumbatova, head of the hydrogen and green technologies department of the Azerbaijan Renewable Energy Sources Agency, said, Azerbaijan’s current task is to expand the product line through “green” technologies and attract new investments for the development of such areas as the production of “green” ammonia and urea.
According to her, today, when the challenges of climate change and global warming are becoming increasingly urgent, it is important not only to think about the consequences, but also about a just transition to a new energy reality.
“In Azerbaijan, where the oil and gas industry traditionally occupies an important place, such a transition is of particular importance and requires a thoughtful approach. On the one hand, it is necessary to continue to develop the oil and gas sector, and on the other, to reduce its carbon footprint. In this context, two main directions open up to us to modernize the industry. The first direction is to reduce carbon emissions in the process of oil and gas production and processing. Here it is important to take into account both resource management and increasing energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources. To achieve these goals, strategic agreements and investment contracts have been concluded with key players. in the oil and gas market,” she emphasized.
It should be noted that this event will be an important milestone in the formation of the climate agenda before COP29, which will be held in Baku in November.
Climate Action Week brings together key players from various fields: politics, finance, trade, investment, science, art, culture, civil society and media.
The first half of the week (September 30 – October 2) is dedicated to discussing climate solutions with the participation of government agencies, academia and the private sector. The second half (October 3-4) focuses on science, education, arts, culture and other sectors.
As part of climate week, many events are planned that will take place in different parts of the capital.