By Alish Abdulla

Copyright trend

BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 2. Speaker of the
Azerbaijani Parliament Sahiba Gafarova delivered a speech on
“Strengthening resilience and response to disasters” at the 11th
Summit of Parliamentary Speakers of the “Group of Twenty” (G20),
known as P20, held in the Republic of South Africa, the
parliamentary press service told Trend.

In her address, Gafarova emphasized that the phenomenon of
climate change is escalating in intensity, with its ramifications
becoming progressively more pronounced on a daily basis. She
observed that no sovereign state possesses immunity from the
ramifications of climate change, as natural disasters impact every
geopolitical entity and territorial region. Consequently, this
challenge has escalated into a critical global concern
necessitating immediate interventions across all strata.

According to her, this, in turn, calls for laying the groundwork
with international frameworks and commitments, turning those ideas
into solid national actions and plans, while also making sure that
global cooperation and collective support are in the mix for their
successful implementation.

Highlighting the role of parliaments in taking necessary
response measures against disasters and climate impacts, the
speaker underlined that legislative processes should not be
reactive but proactive, reflecting adaptation to climate change and
risk reduction as a general approach. She added that this also
contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development

Gafarova stressed that the Azerbaijani Parliament has already
adopted numerous laws in areas such as environment, land, water,
forestry, agriculture, civil defense, and other sectors, laying the
foundation for preparedness against the negative effects of climate
change. She recalled that last yea,r Azerbaijan presented its
National Adaptation Plan, which aligns with the Global Goal on
Adaptation, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Sendai
Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. The plan foresees steps to
adapt to changing conditions, further clarifying and improving
adaptation measures in certain legislative documents.

The speaker pointed out that under the leadership of President
Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan hosted one of the most successful
Conferences of the Parties (COP), namely COP29, last November. She
highlighted that the country succeeded in building stronger bridges
between the Global South and Global North in pursuit of common
goals, ensuring that the voices of developing countries were

She also provided information on the major outcomes of COP29,
officially recognized by the United Nations as the “Baku Climate
Solidarity Pact.” These include the adoption of a New Collective
Quantified Goal (known as the Baku Finance Goal), the full
operationalization of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement on
international carbon markets, the decision enabling the full launch
of the Loss and Damage Fund, as well as the establishment of the
Baku Adaptation Roadmap and the High-Level Dialogue on
Adaptation.

Gafarova further articulated that the Azerbaijani Parliament, in
collaboration with the Inter-Parliamentary Union, convened a
legislative assembly during COP29, strategically focused on
synergizing parliamentary initiatives to combat climate change.

In summation, the speaker emphasized that with the triumphant
culmination of COP29, Azerbaijan has once more illustrated that
unity, concessions, and synergistic strategies are crucial for
attaining optimal results amidst shared adversities.

The G20, or Group of Twenty, serves as a pivotal platform for
the world’s leading economies to engage in dialogue and tackle
critical economic and financial challenges. In parallel, the P20,
known as Parliament20, functions as a G20 engagement consortium
that convenes legislators from G20 nations to enhance collaborative
efforts on international matters and bolster the execution of G20
resolutions. The P20, an innovative framework, functions as a
conduit for legislative stakeholders to engage in G20 discourse and
fortify the nexus between G20 resolutions and parliamentary
implementations.

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