Council of Europe Secretary General, Alain Berset, participated in the World Leaders Climate Action Summit in the context of the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on climate change (COP29) which took place in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 12-13 November 2024. In line with the Reykjavík Declaration (ADD LINK), the protection of the environment is one of the key priorities of the Council of Europe. During his bilateral discussions with many world leaders and in his intervention in the High-Level Party Event co-organised by Spain, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Unicef, the Secretary General stressed the need to counter the impact of pollution, climate change and loss of biodiversity on human rights, democracy and the rule of law. "Our common action on the environment is not only about reducing carbon emissions. It's about protecting people, communities, and future generations", he stressed.
On the margins of the COP29, the Secretary General met with the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. He congratulated the President on the organisation of the COP29, and underlined the importance of the Council of Europe rights-based approach to environment protection. The President and the Secretary General had an open and constructive discussion on issues of mutual interest for Azerbaijan and the Council of Europe. Secretary General Berset presented his vision for advancing this cooperation further in the period ahead. "It is only through dialogue between all our member states that we can achieve greater convergence and overcome our common challenges", he noted. Finally, the Secretary General underlined the important contribution of Azerbaijan to inter-religious and intercultural dialogue.
At the COP29, the Secretary General also had an open exchange of views with civil society organisations and thanked them for their commitment and continued contribution to the Council of Europe work on the environment. The meeting focused on our Organisation's future action in this area, the protection of environment Human Rights defenders, and the execution of climate-related judgments of the European Court of Human Rights.
While in Baku, the Secretary General paid a visit to the Council of Europe Office in the Republic of Azerbaijan. He thanked its 14 staff members for their continued and valuable support to the implementation of the co-operation activities with Azerbaijan, and for providing information on relevant activities of the Council of Europe to the general public and its partners.
