Leyla Aliyeva participates in discussions on improving air quality in cities at COP31

An event titled "Clean Air, Healthy Cities: From Urban Planning to Climate Action" was held at the 31st session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31), in partnership with the IDEA Public Union and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), Report informs.

Participants were first shown a short documentary film prepared by IDEA on the importance of clean air in urban environments.

Speaking at the opening of the event, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and founder and head of the IDEA Public Union Leyla Aliyeva discussed the impact of air pollution on human health and emphasized the importance of taking environmental factors into account in developing healthier and more sustainable cities.

Leyla Aliyeva also highlighted Azerbaijan's experience in sustainable urban development, including measures to expand green spaces and promote environmentally friendly transport. She noted the role of the IDEA Public Union's "Our Courtyard" project, tree-planting campaigns and other initiatives aimed at greening urban areas.

Speaking at the event, COP29 President and Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Climate Issues Mukhtar Babayev underscored the link between improving air quality and combating climate change. He stressed the importance of strengthening international cooperation to reduce harmful emissions in cities, develop sustainable transport systems and promote environmentally friendly technologies.

Addressing the official part of the event, Director of the UN-Habitat Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia Erfan Ali highlighted issues related to air quality monitoring, reducing harmful emissions, improving environmental governance in cities and applying international best practices in this field.

The event 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 University of Copenhagen representative and 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 specialist in air quality regulation and management at the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

The panelists exchanged views on reducing air pollution, developing environmentally friendly transport systems, integrating green infrastructure into urban development and the positive effects of climate change mitigation measures on human health.

The event highlighted the importance of strengthening international cooperation, applying sustainable urban planning principles and aligning climate policies with public health measures to improve air quality and create healthier urban environments.