Interagency working group formed to improve climate legislation in Azerbaijan

An Inter-Agency Working Group is being established to improve the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, the law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on climate, and the draft Long-Term Low-Carbon Development Strategy, Report informs, citing the Cabinet of Ministers.

In this regard, the State Commission on Climate Change convened on Thursday.

Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Commission Samir Sharifov opened the Commission's meeting and stated that Azerbaijan began actively participating in the joint fight against global climate challenges by joining the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1995.

In the subsequent period, the country, remaining committed to its obligations under the Paris Agreement, set more ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and established a 40 percent reduction in emissions by 2035 compared to 1990 levels as a key priority in the third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) document. This approach demonstrates that Azerbaijan pursues a consistent policy toward transitioning to a low-carbon development model and minimizing the impacts of climate change.

It was noted that the COP29 conference, successfully held in Baku on November 11-22, 2024, was remembered for its important and historic decisions on many pending issues. Azerbaijan made its contribution to the joint efforts demonstrated by the vast majority of the world's countries against the consequences of global climate change. It was precisely in Baku that a consensus was achieved on the New Collective Quantified Goal – the key expectation of developing countries. According to the decision adopted in Baku, the annual target for climate finance directed to developing countries from all public and private sources was set at $1.3 trillion by 2035.

At the commission's meeting, presentations were made by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources on the draft law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on climate as well as the draft Long-Term Low-Carbon Development Strategy, and by the Ministry of Economy on the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and its potential economic impacts, followed by discussions around those presentations.

Speaking at the State Commission's meeting, the Climate Envoy of the President of Azerbaijan, Mukhtar Babayev, stated that it is important to finalize the country's Long-Term Low-Carbon Development Strategy (LTS) draft and submit it for approval in a short period.

In his speech, he emphasized that the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism envisages leveling the competitive conditions by taking into account the carbon intensity of imported products. In this regard, strengthening national climate policy is of great importance for protecting the country's export potential and modernizing industry.

Additionally, the commission members were informed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the outcomes of the 30th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30) held in Belém, Brazil, in November 2025, and about the measures implemented by Azerbaijan in the fight against climate change. At the same time, the necessity of timely commencement of preparatory work by relevant agencies for the COP31 session to be held in Antalya, Turkey, on November 9-20, 2026, was emphasized.

At the conclusion of the meeting, decisions were adopted by the Chairman of the State Commission Samir Sharifov regarding the preparation and submission to the Commission in a short period of an action plan related to preparations for the upcoming 31st session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31), as well as the establishment of an Inter-Agency Working Group for the purpose of improving the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, the law on climate, and the draft Long-Term Low-Carbon Development Strategy.