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A panel meeting on "Women leading progress: Water and Sustainable Development Goals" was organized under the auspices of Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairperson of the General Women's Union, on December 4 within the COP-28 held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Azernews reports.

At the meeting organized by the United Nations (UN), the General Women's Union and the Swiss Association for Women and Empowerment, Leyla Aliyeva, the vice-president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the founder and head of the IDEA Public Union, Tatyana Valova, the general director of the Geneva branch of the UN , the Minister of Climate Change and Environment of the United Arab Emirates Mariam Almheiri participated.

It was stated at the meeting that the participants will try to coordinate and strengthen efforts aimed at solving the current problem of water management, investigating its effects on communities and ecosystems, in accordance with the resolution of the UN General Assembly, which establishes the right to safe and clean drinking water as one of the basic human rights.

Leyla Aliyeva, vice-president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, speaking at the discussions, said: "We see that the water level in the Kura, Samur, and Araz rivers is decreasing due to climate changes. The water level in the Volga River is falling, which also affects the Caspian Sea. We have witnessed a drought in Azerbaijan in the last 7-8 years, and this shows its impact on the agricultural sector. The government is planning to create 10 water reservoirs in the country and this will solve the problem. Another issue is that, unfortunately, we were deprived of our water resources in those lands during the period when 20 percent of the territory of our country was occupied for 30 years."

During the speeches, the importance of increasing mutual awareness of solving water problems, promoting inclusive and informed solutions for sustainable water management, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and gender equality was particularly emphasized. The panelists also discussed best practices and possible solutions for better water management, as well as climate issues, that can positively impact the well-being, health and equity of communities worldwide to accelerate the achievement of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Khalifa University Professor Mariam Rashed Al Shehihi said: "We need to have the latest information on the water situation in the UAE. With this, we can better understand the problems and achieve more efficient management of water resources. We need to understand, for example, how much water is wasted in which areas in the UAE. With this, we can better understand the problems, current and future situations."

After the panel meeting, the participants visited the Azerbaijan pavilion operating within the framework of COP28. It was reported that the national pavilion, which was created with the cooperation of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources within the framework of COP28, which will last until December 12, covers the theme "Let's lead sustainable solutions for climate sustainability".

The concept of the pavilion is based on the rich flora and fauna of Azerbaijan. The pavilion, set up in an interactive format, provides information on the policy of Azerbaijan in the field of climate change, measures of the government of Azerbaijan to reduce greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere, activities on mitigation and adaptation, and other projects. It was reported that Azerbaijan confirmed the commitment to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases by 35 percent by 2030, and to increase this target to 40 percent by 2050. Acting actively in this direction is a priority issue for the government of Azerbaijan.

On December 4, an event on "Climate change and restoration of ecosystems" was held in the Azerbaijan pavilion, organized by the IDEA Public Union, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, and the World Conservation Fund.

Maka Bitsadze, the conservation manager of the Caucasus office of the World Wide Fund for Nature Protection, project manager Yerney Strith, Elshad Askarov, the head of the Azerbaijan representative office of the Fund, and Zarkhanim Aghayeva, the representative of the IDEA organization, informed about the nature protection and restoration projects in the region and emphasized the special role of Azerbaijan in these projects. It was reported that the historic range of gazelles, which were endangered in the middle of the last century, is being restored, and about 350 gazelles have been moved to new areas. Among them, 33 gazelles were reintroduced to the liberated territories and this process will be continued.

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