A delegation led by Yalchin Rafiyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Chief Negotiator of COP29, participated in Climate Week in Panama, held from May 19–21, 2025, in Panama City.
The event was organized by the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and included mandated sessions and a high-level plenary meeting.
At the high-level plenary session on May 21, 2025, Yalchin Rafiyev delivered a speech outlining Azerbaijan’s initiatives under its COP29 presidency. He emphasized the significance of the historic decisions adopted at COP29, especially the Baku Climate Finance Goal, which envisions the mobilization of $300 billion annually by 2035 for developing countries. Rafiyev also highlighted the importance of reaching consensus on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement regarding carbon markets—an achievement secured under Azerbaijan's leadership after a decade of stalled negotiations.
During the visit, the Azerbaijani delegation, headed by Rafiyev, held bilateral and trilateral meetings with key stakeholders, including Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, Noura Hamladji, Deputy Executive Secretary, as well as Ana Toni, Executive Director of Brazil’s COP30 Presidency, and Lilian Chagas, COP30 Chief Negotiator.
The meetings focused on Azerbaijan’s achievements and experiences during COP29, the implementation of its climate decisions, and the importance of these outcomes in the context of global efforts to combat climate change. Discussions also covered preparations for the 62nd session of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies to be held in June 2025, and the thematic priorities of the upcoming COP30 climate negotiations.
With a global outlook and local context, Baku Climate Action Week (BCAW) will convene key stakeholders—from policy and finance to science, culture, and civil society—to help lay the foundations for a successful COP30. This will be the second time Azerbaijan has hosted BCAW.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry has established the Climate Diplomacy Department to strengthen Baku's diplomatic role in the Baku-Belém Roadmap, aiming to foster international cooperation for a significant increase of financial resources to support developing countries.
At the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev highlighted Azerbaijan’s climate leadership, unveiling the Baku to Belem Roadmap. The initiative aims to scale climate finance to $1.3 trillion by 2035, with global cooperation to support developing nations.
Romania’s top court has upheld the victory of centrist independent Nicușor Dan in the May 18 presidential election, rejecting a challenge from far-right candidate George Simion over alleged foreign interference.
Renowned Azerbaijani photographer Agdes Baghirzade unveils The Other Side of Me in Tbilisi, deepening cultural ties with Georgia through a poetic lens on everyday life.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared on Thursday that Pakistan will no longer receive water from rivers over which India holds rights, escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
The U.S. State Department has handed over international disaster response duties to its refugee-focused bureau, sidelining USAID’s seasoned crisis teams.
The UK is set to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while retaining long-term control over the Diego Garcia military base under a 99-year lease. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Mauritian officials are expected to formalize the deal in a virtual ceremony this week.
Tensions flare in the India-France Rafale deal as France refuses to share the fighter jet’s source code, limiting India’s ability to integrate indigenous weapons and reducing its combat autonomy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on May 15, with discussions reportedly focusing on upcoming peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegates in Istanbul.
France has rejected India’s request to share source codes needed to integrate indigenous weapons into Rafale fighter jets. Despite repeated appeals, French manufacturer Dassault Aviation has refused to compromise on the issue
AnewZ and Kazakhstan’s Jibek Joly/Silk Way TV channel co-hosted a special AnewZ Talks in Astana at Maqsut Narikbayev University (MNU), uniting global experts and young leaders at Silk Road Media Group’s journalism school to explore the growing intersection of media and diplomacy.
The Tehran Dialogue Forum 2025, scheduled for May 18–19, will host 200 international guests, including 40 current and former European officials.
Even if global warming is limited to 1.5°C — the goal set by nearly 200 countries — rising seas will still pose a major threat to coastal communities for centuries, scientists say.
Colombia lost nearly 88,900 hectares of forest — an area larger than New York City — in just six months, according to a new report from the country’s public watchdog.
At least 10 people have died and another 10 remain missing following a flash flood and landslide in Indonesia’s West Papua province.
The U.S. faces a dangerous mix of rising tornadoes and fewer meteorologists, straining weather warning systems. Tornado counts are 35% above average this year, testing an understaffed National Weather Service amid growing climate-driven severe weather.
In 2024, global forest loss reached a historic peak, with wildfires—fueled by extreme climate conditions—destroying millions of hectares of tropical forests. Brazil, set to host COP30, was the hardest hit.
Romania’s top court has upheld the victory of centrist independent Nicușor Dan in the May 18 presidential election, rejecting a challenge from far-right candidate George Simion over alleged foreign interference.
Renowned Azerbaijani photographer Agdes Baghirzade unveils The Other Side of Me in Tbilisi, deepening cultural ties with Georgia through a poetic lens on everyday life.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared on Thursday that Pakistan will no longer receive water from rivers over which India holds rights, escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
The U.S. State Department has handed over international disaster response duties to its refugee-focused bureau, sidelining USAID’s seasoned crisis teams.
The UK is set to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while retaining long-term control over the Diego Garcia military base under a 99-year lease. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Mauritian officials are expected to formalize the deal in a virtual ceremony this week.
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