Leyla Aliyeva Leads COP31 Discussions on Urban Air Quality

Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and head of the IDEA Public Union, led discussions on urban air quality during the 31st session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31). The event, titled “Clean Air, Healthy Cities: From Urban Planning to Climate Action,” was organized in partnership with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and the IDEA Public Union.

Aliyeva detailed Azerbaijan's sustainable urban development initiatives, specifically highlighting tree-planting campaigns and the “Our Courtyard” project. COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev joined the discussions to emphasize the direct link between air quality and climate change, calling for increased international cooperation to reduce harmful emissions.

Additional contributions came from Irfan Ali Abdulaziz of UN-Habitat, who focused on environmental governance and air quality monitoring. A panel of experts from the UN Environment Programme, the Government of Uzbekistan, and the University of Copenhagen further discussed the integration of green infrastructure into urban planning to improve public health outcomes.