Azerbaijan has presented its first national sustainability standard, currently under development, at the World Urban Forum 13 (WUF13). The Sustainable Practices Standard is being developed by the Baku-based environmental NGO, the Ecosphere Social-Ecology Centre.
The initiative aims to apply internationally recognised sustainability principles at a national level across Azerbaijan.
The standard will allow institutions in the country to assess how sustainability principles are implemented in practice by monitoring energy consumption, resource management and the use of local materials.
Firuza Sultan-Zade, an ecologist at the Ecosphere Social-Ecology Centre, said the protocol was about embedding environmental principles into everyday life.
“For us this is more than a technical framework, it is an attempt to create a new culture of environmental and social responsibility, adapted to our own regional reality,” she said.
“Every country has its own environmental challenges, social dynamics, traditions and development pathways. This is why local sustainability systems matter. They help translate global principles into practical action that people can truly implement," Sultan-Zade added.
Mukhtar Babayev, Azerbaijan's Minister of Ecology, told WUF13 that the sustainability standard formed part of the country’s broader commitment to tackling climate change, referencing Baku’s hosting of COP29 in 2024.
He praised the work of the Ecosphere Social-Ecology Centre in developing the framework and emphasised the importance of combining international experience with country-level realities.
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