Headquarters of the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Dear Headquarters of the Secretariat!
This year, from November 11 to 24, the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will be held in Baku.
We remind you that just 2.5 months after the ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of Armenians from Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh/Nagorno-Karabakh, on December 11, 2023, the decision was made during the COP28 plenary session in Dubai to hold COP29 in Baku. Ilham Aliyev interpreted this decision as significant global support for his atrocities against the Armenians of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh/Nagorno-Karabakh.
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Baku’s actions disregard international laws and court rulings related to the large-scale aggression against Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh that commenced on September 27, 2020, the ten-month blockade in September 2023, followed by military aggression, genocide, and the displacement of 150,000 indigenous Armenians, all in violation of the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020. Consequently, political leaders, soldiers, and civilians of the Republic of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh are now in illegal captivity without any international mechanisms to safeguard their rights.
The Republic of Armenia managed to secure the return of 32 Armenian captives only by withdrawing its bid to host COP29 in favor of Azerbaijan, a move made under duress.
Baku’s troubling human rights record includes the suppression of environmental protests and the arrest of journalists.
This year the COP29 summit is set to be held in an oil-producing authoritarian state which significantly contributes to global climate change through its extensive greenhouse gas emissions. This authoritarian country profits immensely from these emissions, which in turn fuel its military apparatus and sustain its aggressive actions against the unrecognized democratic Republic of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh and the Republic of Armenia. Baku’s aggression entails the systematic atrocities including killings, rapes, mutilations, beheadings, and the forcible displacement of civilians, in addition to the illegal occupation of internationally recognized Armenian territories.
The authoritarian leader of Baku blatantly disregards international court decisions and publicly dismissing international law as ineffective and asserting that only his “iron fist” can resolve disputes. This same leader, hosting a global environmental summit, is responsible for devastating the forests of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh with white phosphorus in 2020, targeting Armenians who sought refuge there. This act is a direct continuation of the impunity for the use of phosphorus in the Armenian Shahumyan region in 1992, reinforcing Baku’s perception of the impotence of international law and institutions.
The regime’s disregard for international law is also evident in its handling of hazardous chemicals, with significant amounts of banned pesticides having been improperly managed and exported.
Additionally, between 1989 and 1991, approximately 8,000 tons of outdated and banned pesticides, primarily DDT and hexachlorane, were transported to a landfill located 53 km from Baku. Currently, only about 4,000 tons of these pesticides remain at the site. Thousands of tons of these banned chlorinated organic pesticides have been illicitly traded, resold in Russia, and throughout the South Caucasus region. Between 1984 and 2004, 18,735 tons of 100 different pesticides were produced in Azerbaijan, and 429,586 tons were imported. According to the UN Economic Commission for Europe, around 500 tons of pesticides are imported into Azerbaijan annually. The OSCE reports that some of these are banned pesticides, including DDT, hexachlorane, isophen, sodium profinate, and chlorophos. These banned persistent organic pollutants have also been found in exported fruits.
The Aliyev family has accumulated vast wealth through the use of these banned persistent organic pollutants, contaminating cotton fields with pesticides of dubious origin, despite the labor of women in these fields. The Baku regime has further announced plans to convert the occupied territories of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh into landfills for solid waste and transfer points, while a new 9-hectare hazardous waste landfill is set to open in Nakhichevan this year.
How likely is it that a state entity that disregards international laws and decisions will adhere to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, the Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, IAEA decisions, and other crucial environmental regulations? And how likely is it that such an entity will not create technogenic threats, various accidents, and disasters for the entire region?
We strongly oppose the decision to host COP29 in Baku, an authoritarian city known for its environmental destruction and disregard for international laws. Allowing such a global climate summit to be held under a regime with a long history of environmental degradation and persistent human rights violations undermines both the credibility of the conference and the public trust in the UN. This choice casts serious doubt on the integrity and effectiveness of the conference’s goals and processes.
We hope that the Secretariat of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change will act impartially and remain dedicated to addressing environmental issues, ultimately rejecting the plan to hold COP29 in Baku.
Forum of Refugees from the Azerbaijan SSR
“Karavan-88” NGO
“Alarm” NGO
“In the name of Hadrut” NGO
“Return to Kashatagh” NGO
“De-occupation of Hadrut” NGO
“Association of Armenians from the Azerbaijan SSR” NGO
“KRUNK” for protection of the rights of Artsakh Armenians NGO
Coordinator of the Forum of Refugees from the Azerbaijan SSR