Leyla Aliyeva: Very good programs and campaigns have been launched in Azerbaijan in the field of environmental protection.

On June 30, a special session on "New Leaders of the Future" was held in Baku within the framework of the Crans Montana Forum.

The First Lady of Azerbaijan, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva, and the Foundation’s Vice-President Leyla Aliyeva participated in the event. The session, moderated by Professor Daniel Varner of the Scientific Board of the Crans Montana Forum, featured reports on "The Role of Future Leaders in a Changing World" and "The Impact of Globalization on the Environment," followed by productive discussions.

"I would like to welcome you to our beautiful city of Baku. I hope you have a very interesting time here.

I would like to talk about a very important topic — the role of young people in Azerbaijan and around the world in environmental protection. I would like to speak about the roles of future leaders in ensuring sustainable development," said Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, at the session.

Leyla Aliyeva noted that sustainable development has made environmental protection a topical issue worldwide.

Ms. Leyla Aliyeva stated: "It is extremely important to carry out a number of measures to ensure this. Today’s environmental problems both divide nations and prevent the protection of all their interests. Therefore, the proper management of each country's natural resources is a very important issue. This is also crucial from the perspective of climate change. These issues can have both positive and negative impacts on our lives. Therefore, we must be able to manage these changes correctly. The occurrence of these changes in the environment, particularly the role of the younger generation in this field, makes it even more important."

According to her, very good programs and campaigns have been launched in Azerbaijan in the field of environmental protection.

"We invite young people and all citizens to join these campaigns. This work is, of course, carried out based on the principles of dialogue, leadership, and education, serving the entire nation. At the same time, it is a very important matter to ensure environmental protection and sustainable development. Ensuring cooperation in this direction globally and taking measures requires regional and international relations.

As you know, nine out of eleven climate types exist in the Republic of Azerbaijan. This enriches Azerbaijan’s nature considerably. To protect Azerbaijan’s rich nature, we face very important tasks. These include environmental protection, preventing water and nature pollution, and preserving them. Young people are actively involved in the process to solve all these issues that concern us in Azerbaijan.

I raised all these issues during meetings I held in Geneva a week ago. I stressed that these issues are very important in Azerbaijan and the Caucasus region.

Environmental issues are very important for us. Therefore, I think it is necessary to start teaching these topics in classrooms. I believe that with this, children will already gain knowledge about nature protection in the countries they live in from an early age. I think this will be of great importance in responding to ecological challenges," Leyla Aliyeva said in her speech.

Leyla Aliyeva noted that a clean environment begins with a clean and pure society.

A representative of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan emphasized that future leaders will play a very important role in a changing world.

Noting that more than 66 percent of Azerbaijan’s population is under 30 years old, the representative highlighted the important role of young people in the country’s socio-political life. He stated that according to the "State Program for the Education of Azerbaijani Youth Abroad for 2007–2015," more than 15,000 Azerbaijani students were expected to go abroad for education. The head of the department stated that special attention and care are given to youth in Azerbaijan, and every opportunity has been created for young people to freely use the latest innovations in modern technology.

He emphasized that young people are the force that leads Azerbaijan to a successful future and elevates the country’s political and economic potential to a new level. Therefore, youth policy is one of the state’s priorities in Azerbaijan.

The speakers at this session, organized within the framework of the Crans Montana Forum, discussed the importance of the current issues and highlighted the significance of frequently holding such important events where young people are given significant calls to action.