Rafiyev says climate agenda must ensure continuity between COP and WUF events

Bringing the Baku Legacy Coalition to the WUF13 platform allows transforming the political impulse formed during the negotiations into concrete municipal actions, housing strategies, and localized climate financing, Azerbaijan's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yalchin Rafiyev said at the high-level meeting of the Baku Resilience Coalition on City Climate Action and Sustainable Urbanization within the framework of WUF13 in Baku.

According to him, nationally determined contributions are formulated at the state level, but their implementation primarily depends on cities.

"Nationally determined contributions are calculated at the state level, but they are won or lost at the city level," Rafiyev said.

He emphasized that cities, which consume more than 78% of the world's energy and generate more than 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions, play a key role in combating climate change. At the same time, it is urban infrastructure and the housing sector that are most vulnerable to climate risks.

The deputy minister recalled the COP29 Declaration on multi-sectoral action pathways for sustainable and healthy cities, developed in cooperation with UN-Habitat within the framework of Azerbaijan's COP29 presidency. The document has already been supported by more than 50 countries and over 200 cities.

The document envisages expanding the powers of local authorities and ensuring more direct and accessible access for cities to climate financing by international financial institutions.

"Our goal today is legacy," Rafiyev stated.

According to him, the inclusion of past and future organizers of WUF and COP in the coalition will make it possible to ensure the consistent advancement of the climate and urbanization agenda regardless of political cycles and changes in presidencies at international forums.

"We are building a process in which urbanization and climate priorities will be consistently passed from one host country to another," he noted.