COP30 Holds High-Level Meeting on Declining Caspian Sea Levels

A high-level meeting titled “Caspian Sea Level Decline: Joint Efforts toward Preservation and Resilience” took place at the Azerbaijan Pavilion during the COP30 Conference in Belem, Brazil.

Organized by the COP29 Presidency, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, and the Tehran Convention Secretariat, the event aimed to advance a coordinated regional action plan for monitoring, climate adaptation, and international support - strengthening resilience for the Caspian basin and contributing to the global COP30 agenda on water and oceans, The Caspian Post reports citing AZERTAC.

The event gathered senior representatives of all five Caspian littoral states, along with key partners from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).

In his remarks, Mukhtar Babayev, COP29 President, Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Climate Issues, highlighted the impacts of the decline of the Caspian Sea level on ecosystems, coastal infrastructure and economic activity, as well as the welfare of people living in coastal areas.

He underlined that Azerbaijan will pull every lever available to protect the Caspian, including strengthening regional collaboration among the Caspian littoral states and mobilizing global expertise, finance, and support.

Umayra Taghiyeva, Azerbaijani Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, representatives of the Caspian littoral states, namely Iran, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan, as well as UNEP, WMO, and UN-Habitat also delivered speeches.

In conclusion, the participants adopted the Declaration of Ministers and High-Level Representatives of the Caspian Littoral States on Enhancing Cooperation on the Decline of the Caspian Sea Level, reaffirming their shared commitment to joint action.