Baku: Baku Climate Action Week 2026 (BCAW 2026) featured a roundtable discussion titled ‘Harmoniya in Action: Partnering for Climate-Resilient Agriculture.’ Moderated by Kara Jenkinson, International Program and Operations Specialist at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Office in Azerbaijan, the high-level discussion brought together senior government officials, representatives of FAO and other international organizations, financial institutions, and development partners. The exchange was designed to move beyond general commitments toward concrete, actionable partnerships in support of climate-resilient agriculture.
According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, Mukhtar Babayev, Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Climate Issues and President of COP29, emphasized the ongoing importance of hosting the Baku Climate Action Week. He noted that the platform brings together potential partners and stakeholders around critical issues, particularly focusing on climate processes, impacts, and efforts to address these challenges. Babayev highlighted the key priorities of mitigating climate change’s negative impacts and implementing relevant programs, with agriculture and farming being of significant importance.
Majnun Mammadov, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Agriculture, addressed the roundtable, stating that productivity and resilience are interconnected objectives for Azerbaijan’s agricultural transformation. He highlighted the role of digitalization in integrating productivity and resilience, emphasizing the importance of artificial intelligence, satellite and remote-sensing technologies, drones, and sensors in supporting precise agricultural decision-making. Through the Ministry’s Agricultural Artificial Intelligence Initiative, Azerbaijan aims to integrate various sources of information and transform data into practical solutions.
Mammadov elaborated on plans to install over 180 climate stations to provide weather and climate data, noting that technology’s true value is realized when it aids farmers in making informed decisions. He stressed the significance of the Baku Harmoniya Climate Initiative for Farmers, launched during COP29, to connect efforts on climate-resilient agriculture and ensure that finance, knowledge, technology, and capacity-building translate into practical opportunities for farmers, especially smallholders, women, and young people.
As the focus shifts toward COP31, Mammadov called for stronger cooperation among governments, FAO, international organizations, development and financial institutions, research communities, and the private sector. He emphasized the need for investment in technology, data infrastructure, human capital, institutional capacity, and digital skills to ensure the transformation is farmer-centered and inclusive.
Other speakers at the roundtable included Nigar Arpadarai, Member of the Milli Majlis and UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP29; Tahir Rzayev, Member of the Milli Majlis and Chairman of the Agrarian Policy Committee; Nasar Hayat, FAO Representative and Head of the FAO Partnership and Liaison Office in Azerbaijan; Evetta Zenina, FAO Natural Resources Officer (Climate Change) for Central Asia and Trkiye; Niyazi Amirbayov, Chairman of the Management Board of Agro Dairy Group; Sacha Backes, World Bank Country Manager for Azerbaijan; Tolgahan Bahtiyar, Head of the International Organizations Department at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Trkiye; Rashad Huseynov, Director of the Agro Research Center under Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Agriculture; Elnur Musayev, Deputy Chairperson of the Agro Credit and Development Agency under Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Agriculture; and Amina Akhmetzhanova, Country Engagement and Outreach Consultant at the UNEP-convened Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) Secretar
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