Wedoany.com Report on Feb 3rd, Leyla Aliyeva, Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation of Azerbaijan and Head of the IDEA Public Union, met with Grethel Aguilar, Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in Gland, Switzerland. The two sides held in-depth discussions on opportunities for cooperation in the field of environmental protection.

The meeting focused on the role of international cooperation in addressing environmental issues in Azerbaijan and the surrounding region. Participants emphasized the importance of coordinating environmental initiatives at both global and regional levels and looked forward to prospects for deepening dialogue. Since becoming an official member of IUCN in 2014, the IDEA Public Union has continuously participated in international nature conservation initiatives, providing support for biodiversity conservation cooperation.

The two sides reviewed cooperative projects from the past year, including the joint pavilion at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, acknowledged the results achieved so far, and expressed confidence that future cooperation will continue to progress. The meeting also explored the possibility of hosting high-level regional dialogues in Azerbaijan, as well as opportunities to strengthen collaboration at international events such as the World Urban Forum, World Environment Day, and COP31.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Aliyeva and Aguilar jointly signed a Statement of Intent aimed at expanding bilateral cooperation and promoting the establishment of an IUCN country office in Azerbaijan. Both sides considered this meeting an important step in building a long-term, multi-faceted partnership between the IDEA Public Union and IUCN. IUCN, an international environmental organization founded in 1948, provides a scientific basis for global ecological assessment through its Red List of Threatened Species, first published in 1964.