An event titled "Clean Air, Healthy Cities: From Urban Planning to Climate Action" was organized as part of the 31st session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31), in partnership between IDEA Public Union and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), APA reports.
First, participants were shown a short documentary film prepared by IDEA dedicated to the importance of clean air in urban environments.
Speaking at the opening of the event, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, founder and head of IDEA Public Union Leyla Aliyeva addressed the impact of air pollution on human health and emphasized the importance of taking environmental factors into account in creating healthier and more sustainable cities.
Leyla Aliyeva touched upon Azerbaijan's experience in sustainable urban development, as well as measures implemented to expand green spaces and promote environmentally friendly transport. She also noted the role of IDEA Public Union's "Our Yard" project, tree-planting campaigns and other initiatives aimed at greening urban environments.
COP29 President and Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Climate Issues Mukhtar Babayev addressed the event, emphasizing the interconnection between improving air quality and measures to combat climate change. He noted the importance of strengthening international cooperation in reducing harmful emissions in cities, developing sustainable transport systems and introducing environmentally friendly technologies.
Speaking during the official part of the event, Erfan Ali, Director of the UN-Habitat Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, paid particular attention to air quality monitoring, reducing harmful emissions into the atmosphere, improving urban environmental management mechanisms and applying international experience in this field.
The event then continued with a panel discussion. Moderated by Patricia Scotland, a member of the UK House of Lords and the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, the panel featured Robb Butler, a representative of the University of Copenhagen and an expert on climate and health issues; Timur Sabitov, Deputy Director of the National Center for Climate Change under the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan; and Renee Gift, a legal expert on air quality regulation and management at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
During the panel, participants exchanged views on reducing air pollution, developing environmentally friendly transport systems, integrating green infrastructure into urban planning processes and the positive impacts of measures to combat climate change on human health.
The event emphasized the importance of strengthening international cooperation, applying sustainable urban planning principles and coordinating climate policies with public health measures to improve air quality and create healthier urban environments.
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