No:473/24, Press release on the election of Azerbaijan as Chair of the Central and Eastern Europe regional group within the framework of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and as a member of the Bureau of the 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention
03 December 2024 12:50
Within the framework of the 16th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP16), being held on 2–13 December 2024 in the city of Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Azerbaijan was unanimously elected as Chair for a two-year term of the Central and Eastern Europe regional group, in which it is represented, and as a member of the COP16 Bureau.
During the Chairmanship period, our country will also serve as Vice-President of the Conference of the Parties of the institution.
The group includes 15 Eastern and Central European states together with the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The Regional Action Programme of the Eastern and Central Europe group of the UNCCD, established within the framework of COP5 in 2001, was approved in 2015. Strengthening regional activity, increasing knowledge, ecological agriculture and other priority areas have been identified within the framework of the group.
The main duties of the COP16 Bureau, in which 12 regions are represented, are oversight of the implementation of COP decisions and organization of work for future COP meetings. The COP Bureau also oversees the implementation of commitments carried out between COP sessions.