Leyla Aliyeva, Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, held meetings at offices of international organizations in Geneva.

Leyla Aliyeva, Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and initiator of the IDEA (International Dialogue for Environmental Action) campaign, visited Geneva on June 11. During the visit, meetings were held at the UN Geneva Office, UNICEF’s Geneva office, and the UNEP Regional Office for Europe.

Ms. Aliyeva met with Qasimjomard Tokayev, Deputy Secretary-General and Director-General of the UN Geneva Office, at the UN Geneva Office. During the meeting, Ms. Aliyeva spoke about Azerbaijan’s achievements in recent years. Q. Tokayev recalled his visits to Azerbaijan, noted the country’s significant accomplishments, and highlighted Azerbaijan’s effective activities within the UN framework. The meeting also involved an exchange of views on projects implemented by the UN Geneva Office in the field of environmental protection.

Afterwards, Q. Tokayev introduced the guest to the UN Geneva Office. Ms. Aliyeva visited the conference hall of the UN Conference on Disarmament (of which Q. Tokayev is also Secretary-General) and the “Azerbaijan Room,” restored by the Azerbaijani government and decorated with national carpets, works of Azerbaijani artists, and applied arts masters. During the introduction, Q. Tokayev showed Ms. Aliyeva the painting “Baku” by artist Rafael Abbasov, gifted by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.

Ms. Aliyeva then visited the Human Rights Council meeting room, the League of Nations Museum, and the UN Geneva Office library. The Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation became acquainted with the map of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic issued in 1920, kept in the League of Nations archives. Museum and library staff presented to Ms. Aliyeva a draft document on the admission of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic to the League of Nations at the end of 1920. The archive also preserves other exhibits reflecting the historical relations between the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the League of Nations.

Next, Ms. Aliyeva visited UNICEF’s Geneva office, where she met with Kirsi Madi, Deputy Regional Director of the organization. The UNICEF representative recalled her visit to Azerbaijan last year and spoke about a project implemented in Yardimli by the organization she represents. She noted that the rapid development of Baku and Azerbaijan as a whole makes a strong impression. She also mentioned the successful completion of the “Eurovision” Song Contest recently held in the Azerbaijani capital. K. Madi highly appreciated the level of cooperation between the UNICEF Geneva Office and the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

Ms. Aliyeva spoke about the work of the Foundation, particularly regarding efforts to involve youth in active civic life. She noted that the Foundation pays serious attention to work with children with disabilities. At the end of the meeting, Ms. Aliyeva presented commemorative gifts to Kirsi Madi on behalf of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the IDEA campaign.

Later, at the UNEP Regional Bureau in Geneva, Ms. Aliyeva, initiator of the International IDEA campaign on the environment, met with Yan Dusik, Acting Director of UNEP and Regional Representative for Europe. During the meeting, Ms. Aliyeva and Yan Dusik discussed ecological aspects of the Caspian Sea, including sturgeon reproduction, programs for increasing local fishermen’s knowledge on artificial breeding of this fish species, and issues related to the “green economy” and the “green economy” project implemented in Azerbaijan. This project is UNEP’s first pilot program in Europe, implemented jointly with Azerbaijan through ANAS and the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources. They also considered youth education and awareness programs on environmental protection and health. The interlocutors discussed holding a joint IDEA-UNEP conference in Geneva covering some of these aspects.

Ms. Aliyeva provided information on the Heydar Aliyev Foundation’s environmental activities, including a joint project by IDEA and Reza Diqqat, a famous National Geographic photographer, for an international children’s photo contest on ecology. She also spoke about the “Big Five” program, aimed at protecting five fauna species in the Caucasus at risk of extinction (bear, wolf, gazelle, eagle, and leopard). The program includes breeding gazelles and releasing them into the wild. Ms. Aliyeva mentioned that two weeks ago IDEA invited artists from more than 20 countries to participate in a sculpture competition on the theme of gazelles, aiming to raise public awareness about this beautiful but endangered animal. Additionally, IDEA plans to plant 300,000 saplings. She noted that IDEA is opening representative offices in Moscow, Moldova, Georgia, and Lithuania. Ms. Aliyeva also highlighted that at the end of May, the first ecological resource center for students in the South Caucasus was opened at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of Azerbaijan in Baku.

Yan Dusik provided information on UNEP’s projects related to water resources and mountains. According to him, the Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention, currently operating in Vienna, intends to extend its projects to the Caucasus Mountains. The UNEP representative offered assistance for the educational program of the ecological resource center recently opened in Baku.

At the end of the meeting, Ms. Aliyeva presented commemorative gifts to Yan Dusik on behalf of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the IDEA campaign.

With this, Ms. Leyla Aliyeva’s visit to Geneva concluded.