Baku, September 9, AZERTAC
The Baku Climate Action Week 2026 (BCAW2026) featured a roundtable titled Baku Dialogue on Water for Climate Action – From Commitments to Implementation: Advancing Water Centered Climate Action Towards COP 31.
Addressing the event, Mukhtar Babayev, Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Climate Issues and President of COP29, said that climate change is making water management increasingly difficult and urgent. "Droughts are lasting longer, heavy rains and floods are becoming more severe, and the availability of water resources is reaching less predictable levels. Water demand is surging across agriculture, urban centers, industries, and energy systems, he added.
Dmitry Mariyasin, Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), underlined that the water agenda has become even more important since 2024.
Vivek Shah, Freshwater Ecosystems and Wetlands Division of the United Nations Environment Program, mentioned that the key objective of the Baku Dialogue initiative is to contribute to defining shared priorities for the international community and partners on the water and climate agenda in the period leading up to COP31.
The roundtable continued with discussions.