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Azerbaijan’s All-Male Group In Charge of Cop29 Organization Includes Oil and Gas Executives and Controversial Government Officials
The committee in charge of organizing the Cop29 climate summit has 28 members, all male, including prominent fossil fuel executives and government representatives.
President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan has revealed that the group consists of senior executives from state-owned oil and gas giant Socar, as well as from electricity producer Azerenerji. Additionally, the committee includes government ministers and officials who have been involved in controversial offshore financial schemes.
The group also features Minister Babayev as the Cop29 president, who previously served at Socar for 26 years, showing Azerbaijan’s strong reliance on fossil fuels.
A campaign manager at Oil Change International criticized Azerbaijan’s decision, stating that the personnel appointments are endangering climate initiatives. He emphasized the need for a process free of fossil influence in climate talks.
It is notable that the committee is entirely composed of men, sparking criticism from activists, as Azerbaijan remains heavily reliant on oil and gas for its economic survival. The country plans to increase its fossil fuel production by a third over the next ten years, making it one of the countries with the highest economic dependence on fossil fuels.
Ahead of the Cop29 summit in November, the organizing committee is responsible for drafting an action plan and setting up a logistical event company. Critics have raised concerns over the absence of women on the committee, highlighting the regressive nature of the group’s composition.
Nonetheless, it is apparent that oil and gas interests and controversial figures are well-represented in Azerbaijan’s organizing committee for the Cop29 climate summit, raising concerns among climate activists and environmental organizations.
This story originally appeared on Climate Change News.
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