29th High-Level Meeting of the NGIC on "Pathway to COP29: Sustainable and Resilient Future"
Published: 20 June 2024
Nizami Ganjavi International Center organized a High-Level Meeting titled "Pathway to COP29: Sustainable and Resilient Future." The event was held as part of preparations for COP29.
The meeting was organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center. The opening ceremony was moderated by Ismail Serageldin, Co-Chair of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, and opened by Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President and Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, reading a message from President H.E. Ilham Aliyev. The President's message highlighted the Nizami Ganjavi International Center's rapid rise to prominence as a leading international institution and praised its initiatives and new approaches to addressing global issues.
The message emphasized that climate change has long been one of the most critical and prioritized issues on the global agenda: "The climate crisis and its impacts not only hinder the sustainable development and prosperity of countries but also significantly affect the daily lives and lifestyles of ordinary people." It was noted that, despite significant steps taken by the global community to address global warming, new challenges and increasingly serious threats remain.
Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan and COP29 President-Designate Mukhtar Babayev emphasized Azerbaijan’s commitment to presenting COP29 in an inclusive, transparent, and fair manner, and the importance of hearing all views and finding common solutions for climate change.
Maria Fernanda Espinosa, President of the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly, noted that the goal of the High-Level Meeting was to discuss key issues in the fight against climate change. She stated that the success of COP29 would not only be Azerbaijan’s success and emphasized that COP29 aims to establish peace between humanity and nature.
Ismahane Elouafi, Executive Director of CGIAR, highlighted the importance of the issues to be discussed at COP29 for finding solutions to climate problems.
The event also featured video messages from Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization; Miguel Angel Moratinos, High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations; Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS; former President of Finland, Tarja Halonen; Najat Mokhtar, Deputy Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency; and former UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, who shared their views on climate change and the importance of united efforts.
On the first day, three panels discussed "Status review of the challenge," "Balancing, mitigation, adaptation, and resilience," and "Climate change and its connections to water, biodiversity, and food security."
On the second day of the event, panel discussions focused on “The Role of Science, technology, and Innovation in Climate Change”, “The Situation in the Food and Agriculture Sectors”, Financing Our Response to Climate Change and the SDGs”, “One Health, One Planet: Uniting for a Sustainable Future”.
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A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Caucasus Muslims Board and NGIC
On February 20, the Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Board, Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade, received Rovshan Muradov, Secretary-General of the NGIC.
The Sheikh-ul-Islam highly appreciated the significance and international value of the traditional Global Baku Forums under the high patronage and support of the President of Azerbaijan, emphasizing that such high-level forums reflect Azerbaijan’s prestige and credibility in the world.
Mr. Muradov noted that the main objective of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, based in Azerbaijan, is to contribute to global initiatives and activities aimed at promoting peace, peaceful coexistence, and justice worldwide. The representative of the international organization provided detailed information about the projects and events implemented with the support of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. He also stated that they are interested in cooperation with the Caucasus Muslims Board, a religious center with extensive and diverse international relations.
During the meeting, issues of mutual interest and prospects for joint cooperation between the two institutions were discussed.
At the end of the meeting, a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation was signed between the Caucasus Muslims Board and the Nizami Ganjavi International Center.
NGIC organized a high-level event within the framework of the Munich Security Conference
Within the framework of the Munich Security Conference 2026, a high-level event titled “Multilateralism in a Fractured Global Order Format” was held.
The roundtable discussion was dedicated to preserving the effectiveness and legitimacy of multilateralism amid the current geopolitical fragmentation, as well as to potential reforms in the framework of the UN80+.
The event brought together nearly 40 high-level participants from more than 15 countries, including senior UN officials, former heads of state and government, ministers, leaders of regional organizations, and leading strategic experts.
Among the speakers during the sessions were Mukhtar Babayev, Representative of the President of Azerbaijan on Climate Issues and President of COP29; Prince Turki Al Faisal, Chairman of the Board of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies; Boris Tadic, former President of Serbia; Macky Sall, former President of Senegal; Eduards Stiprais, EU Special Representative for Central Asia; Maria Fernanda Espinosa, President of the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly; Sodiq Safoyev, Deputy Chairman of the Senate of Uzbekistan; and Sebastian Kurz, former Federal Chancellor of Austria.
During the luncheon discussion, Miguel Angel Moratinos, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations; Amr Moussa, former Secretary-General of the Arab League; Tzipi Livni, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel; George Papandreou, former Prime Minister of Greece; Miroslav Lajčák, President of the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly; Eldor Aripov, First Deputy Secretary of the Security Council under the President of Uzbekistan; and Rovshan Muradov, Secretary General of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, shared their views on the future directions of global cooperation.
The event particularly emphasized evolving cooperation formats in Central Asia and the South Caucasus, the growing strategic role of the Trans-Caspian connectivity, post-conflict normalization processes, and the complementarity between regional initiatives and global multilateral frameworks.
Coordination Meeting on the XIII Global Baku Forum Held at a XXXV HLM in Geneva
Within the framework of the XXXV High-Level Meeting of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, a coordination meeting of the XIII Global Baku Forum was organized. During the meeting, issues related to cooperation with international partners were discussed.
The meeting also addressed the Forum’s program, key thematic priorities, participation of high-level speakers, and organizational arrangements in detail. It is worth noting that the XIII Global Baku Forum, to be held in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, on 12–14 March 2026, is expected to welcome more than 400 international participants from over 40 countries.
The XXXV High-Level Meeting was held in partnership with the United Nations Geneva
The XXXV High-Level Meeting of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center has commenced in Geneva, within the framework of partnership with the United Nations Office at Geneva. The meeting is dedicated to the theme “Reshaping Multilateralism in an Era of Divides and Transformation”.
Within the framework of this high-level international platform, broad and comprehensive discussions are being held on the future of global governance; adapting multilateral institutions to the evolving world order; the climate crisis and sustainable development; artificial intelligence and technological transformation; peace and security; humanitarian challenges; migration and global health; inclusive economies; the role of women in leadership; as well as global housing and urban development challenges.
At the same time, particular attention has been given to preparations for the XIII Global Baku Forum, to be held in Baku under the organization of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center. In addition, issues related to the Thirteenth Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) of the United Nations, scheduled to take place in Baku on 17–22 May, were also discussed.
The meeting brings together more than 50 high-level international participants representing over 30 countries, including former heads of state and government, heads of UN entities, representatives of international organizations, and renowned experts. The opening ceremony featured remarks by Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization; Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of UN Trade and Development; Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union; Anaclaudia Rossbach, Executive Director of UN-Habitat; Amre Moussa, former Secretary-General of the League of Arab States and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt; Boris Tadic, former President of Serbia; as well as Anar Guliyev, Chairman of the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture of the Republic of Azerbaijan and National Coordinator of WUF13.
It should be noted that, based on the existing institutional cooperation between the Nizami Ganjavi International Center and the United Nations Office at Geneva, these annual high-level meetings serve as an important international platform for discussing global challenges.