BAKU, Azerbaijan - Azerbaijan will provide $10 million over five years to support climate-action projects in small island developing states, President Ilham Aliyev said in an address published Oct. 6.
The assistance is part of a 2024 joint declaration between Azerbaijan and the Commonwealth of Nations. Cooperation also includes the use of satellite data from Azerbaijan’s space agency, Azercosmos, for environmental monitoring and assessment in island states, according to the official text of Aliyev’s address.
Aliyev’s message was delivered to participants in the 2026 Pre-COP Leaders’ Event organized by the governments of Fiji, Tuvalu and Australia. He said small island developing states contribute only a negligible share of global greenhouse-gas emissions but face disproportionately severe damage to their economies, infrastructure, livelihoods and ecosystems.
Aid and Climate Monitoring
Aliyev said Azerbaijan has previously helped countries cope with hurricanes, earthquakes and floods and supported projects involving water supplies, food security and the restoration of cultural heritage. Citizens of more than 10 small island states have also benefited from Azerbaijan’s educational grant program, he said.
The president said Azerbaijan itself faces climate-related pressures, including the shrinking Caspian Sea, water scarcity and more frequent flooding. He called support for vulnerable island states a shared responsibility and a moral imperative.
From COP29 to COP31
Aliyev linked the initiative to Azerbaijan’s COP29 presidency in Baku in 2024, when the country put the concerns of small island states on the conference agenda. He again urged developed countries, particularly those with colonial histories, to increase their assistance.
He also expressed support for Türkiye and Australia ahead of COP31, which is expected to be held in Antalya. The original Russian-language report was published by Vesti Baku.