On January 29, Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, head and founder of the IDEA Public Union, met with Grethel Aguilar, Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in Gland, Switzerland.
The meeting involved a wide-ranging exchange of views on the role of international cooperation in light of current environmental challenges in Azerbaijan and the region, the importance of coordinated global and regional approaches, and the prospects for strengthening dialogue in this direction.
It was noted that IDEA Public Union, a full member of IUCN since 2014, actively participates in international initiatives for nature conservation and biodiversity protection, contributing to the expansion of collaboration in this field.
Touching upon the joint pavilion and other projects presented at last year’s IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, the meeting participants noted the positive experience gained and expressed confidence in the successful continuation of mutual cooperation.
The meeting also included discussions on organizing a high-level regional dialogue with IUCN in Azerbaijan and explored cooperation opportunities within international events such as the World Urban Forum (WUF13), World Environment Day, and COP31.
At the conclusion of the meeting, a Declaration of Intent was signed to expand cooperation ties and work toward opening an IUCN country office in Azerbaijan. Both parties evaluated these discussions as a significant step in the development of long-term and multilateral cooperation between the IDEA Public Union and IUCN.
The IUCN, operating since 1948, is one of the world's leading international organizations in environmental protection and sustainable development, having established the Red List of Threatened Species in 1964 to contribute to global ecological assessment and decision-making processes.
