A Memorandum has been signed between the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the United Nations Development Programme.

At the “Hilton Baku” hotel, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the United Nations Development Programme on “Mobilizing Azerbaijani Youth in Preparation for the Rio+20 Conference to be Held in 2012.”
The First Lady of Azerbaijan, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva, attended the ceremony.

Speaking at the event, UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan Fikrat Akcura thanked the First Lady of Azerbaijan, Goodwill Ambassador Mehriban Aliyeva, and Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva for their support in this process. He emphasized that the event provides an excellent opportunity to declare the national position and highlighted the special significance of the IDEA (International Dialogue for Environmental Protection) campaign announced by Leyla Aliyeva, a representative of Azerbaijani youth.

Fikrat Akcura expressed confidence that cooperation would further expand before the conference to be held next year in Rio de Janeiro and noted that the idea of establishing an international camp for youth in November of this year has generated great interest.

Stating that Azerbaijan has always shown initiative on environmental issues, Fikrat Akcura emphasized that a country that faced major ecological problems during the Soviet period now invests heavily in maintaining ecological balance. He also pointed out that Azerbaijan demonstrates a special position globally on sustainable development.

Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva spoke at the ceremony. Touching on the importance of the memorandum to be signed on mobilizing Azerbaijani youth in preparation for the Rio+20 conference, Leyla Aliyeva spoke about the importance of working together with the UN Development Programme:

* “The Rio+20 conference is being organized to mark the 20th anniversary of the UN’s historic conference on environment and development held in 1992. At this important conference in Rio de Janeiro, we will discuss the main issues of our time, especially environmental protection, sustainable development, and poverty reduction. Naturally, we will also discuss appropriate response measures to the challenges we face. We will strive to ensure that the necessary political will is demonstrated by the UN member states.”

Leyla Aliyeva also spoke about the measures taken in Azerbaijan to protect the environment and address ecological problems. Emphasizing that special attention is given to environmental protection in the country and that many successes have been achieved in this direction, she said:

* “One of our main objectives is the camp to be established in Gabala, which will allow us to reach a better level of preparation for the Rio+20 conference. In Azerbaijan, we have declared November as ‘Ecology Month,’ and there are a number of initiatives planned. This involves directly approaching the environment in a friendly way. We plan to hold clean-up campaigns, plant trees in large numbers, renovate parks, install birdhouses throughout the city, reintroduce endangered animals to nature, clean polluted lands, and ensure access to drinking water in the regions.

We also have a very exciting initiative. This initiative, launched jointly with the Azerbaijan Mountaineering Federation, will bring together climbers from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Iran, and Russia in an expedition to ascend an unnamed peak approximately 3,600 meters high. During this, they will traverse mountains, valleys, and villages to clean up the areas. They will collect waste and other litter and place trash bins, sharing this information with local residents.”

Following this, Leyla Aliyeva and Fikrat Akcura signed the Memorandum of Understanding between the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the UN Development Programme on “Mobilizing Azerbaijani Youth in Preparation for the Rio+20 Conference to be Held in 2012.”

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Huseynqulu Baghirov noted that significant reforms in ecological policy have been implemented in Azerbaijan in recent years and that the country has successfully fulfilled its international commitments in this area. He stated that the Heydar Aliyev Foundation provides special support to the environmental improvement initiatives of President Ilham Aliyev. As a result, Azerbaijan has gradually overcome long-standing environmental challenges, the population’s demand for drinking water is being met, and endangered animals are being returned to their historical habitats.

Huseynqulu Baghirov expressed confidence that the achievements of this globally implemented project will be sustainable and highlighted Leyla Aliyeva’s special contribution in ensuring youth participation in these efforts.

At the ceremony, the website of the IDEA (International Dialogue for Environmental Protection) campaign ([www.ideacampaign.org](http://www.ideacampaign.org)) was presented.

It should be noted that the project aims to encourage youth participation in the preparatory process for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, to be held in 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Another goal of the project is to provide a platform for young people to share ideas on addressing gaps in achieving sustainable development in the country.

The IDEA campaign initiative, launched on July 12 of this year by Leyla Aliyeva, Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, serves as a platform for active youth engagement in the global movement for sustainable development.

Officials from the Azerbaijani government and state, deputies of the National Assembly, ambassadors of foreign countries to Baku, representatives of international organizations, and members of the public attended the ceremony.