Mukhtar Babayev: Azerbaijan strengthening early warning systems

Azerbaijani presidential climate envoy Mukhtar Babayev said he joined a high-level session on early warning and disaster risk reduction at Regional Ecological Summit (RES2026) in Astana, Kazakhstan, Report informs.

Babayev said in a post on X that extreme weather events are increasingly being identified as a major risk across short-, medium- and long-term horizons, while climate risks continue to accelerate.

He noted that rising temperatures, intensifying extremes and rapid glacier loss are increasing exposure to floods, droughts and other hazards.

According to him, this is already visible in Central Asia, where glacier retreat is creating new risks, including glacial lake outburst floods, with implications for both mountain and downstream communities.

Babayev said work is continuing in Azerbaijan to strengthen early warning systems and climate risk monitoring. He added that the submission of the first National Adaptation Plan at COP29 contributes to this direction by helping frame risks more systematically and guide the response.

"At the same time, recent COP outcomes from scaling up adaptation efforts to operationalising support for loss and damage are gradually shifting the focus toward implementation," he said.