UNDP and Norway help Azerbaijan fight greenhouse gas emission

Baku, 20 July 2006 - UN Development Programme and Azerbaijan's Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources kicked off a joint project this morning which will contribute to the international efforts against global warming. The Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Huseyn Bagirov and the UN Resident Coordinator, UNDP Resident Representative in Azerbaijan Mr. Marco Borsotti signed a project document on the "Capacity Building for Clean Development Mechanism in Azerbaijan" in a special ceremony in the Ministry.

The main objective of the project is to assist Azerbaijan in creating the capacity for participation in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto protocol of the United Nations Framework Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC) in order to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The Minister described the project as "qualitatively new" in his opening remarks. According to him, industrialization, in particular, the burning of greater quantities of oil, gasoline, and coal, the cutting of forests was the principal reason for the global warming. "The entry into force of the Kyoto protocol provides Azerbaijan with new opportunities for reducing its greenhouse gas emissions which pollute the atmosphere and contribute to the global warming. The participation in the Clean Development Mechanism, he said, could help mobilize resources for environmentally-friendly technologies. In fact, CDM as a legal instrument under the Kyoto protocol enables the developing countries and countries in transition to receive assistance from the developed countries for implementation of emission reduction projects. "Azerbaijan ratified the Kyoto Protocol in the year 2000 which now allows it to participate in the Clean Development Mechanism", Minister Bagirov said.

In the case of Azerbaijan, it is the Government of Norway that has committed itself to provide financial assistance valued at 300,000 USD to the country for the CDM project. "With the contribution provided by the Norwegian Government, the Government of Azerbaijan, namely the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and UNDP we are putting together efforts to study how to take advantage of the opportunity offered by this mechanism" said the UNDP Representative Marco Borsotti. "Humanity needs energy and for developing we need to continue to be able to access energy. However it is more important to understand what are the consequences related to consumption of energy and therefore develop projects that would reduce the impact of the use of energy on the environment. Many countries in the world have developed very interesting responses to this problem. And Norway together with other Nordic countries is in the forefront of this response action. Azerbaijan can profit from the association with Norway by learning how they were responding to the problem of diversification, management of natural resources, reforestation, etc. ".

The project will be jointly implemented by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and UNDP within two years starting from August 2006. It will eventually allow the transfer of technologies and contribute to the increase of foreign investment flows. As a result of the project, Azerbaijan is expected to develop policy guidelines and institutional framework for implementation of CDM, prepare proposals for concrete CDM projects through learning by doing and formulate Azerbaijan's medium-term CDM strategy including priority sectors and type of projects for CDM investments.

The average temperature of the earth's surface has risen by 0.6 degrees C since the late 1800s. It is expected to increase by another 1.4 to 5.8 degrees C by the year 2100. The 1990s appear to have been the warmest decade of the last Millennium, and 1998 the warmest year. Over a decade ago, most countries joined an international treaty -- the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) -- to begin to consider what can be done to reduce global warming and to cope with whatever temperature increases are inevitable. Recently, a number of nations have approved an addition to the treaty: the Kyoto Protocol, which has more powerful (and legally binding) measures.

For more information:
Ms. Jamila Ibrahimova
Senior Development Adviser,
Team Leader for Energy and Environment and HIV/AIDS practices
Tel.: +99412 498 98 88 (ext.112)