Azerbaijan's Blue Flag Alignment Opens Pathways For Coastal Sustainability - Ecosphere

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. Azerbaijan's formal alignment with the international Blue Flag environmental certification program opens up entirely new pathways for the sustainable development of its coastal territories while fortifying the nation's global ecological standing, Dilara Hajiyeva, National Coordinator of the FEE Blue Flag program at the "EcoSphere" Center for Ecology and Social-Development, said, Trend reports.

She made the remark during a panel discussion titled "Developing Azerbaijan's First National Sustainability Standard: The Sustainable Practices Standard (SPS)" held within the framework of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku.

According to her, Azerbaijan is actively deploying targeted ecological guidelines and sustainable development metrics across diverse economic sectors, with international standards playing a critical structural role throughout this transition.

Hadjieva noted that international sustainability benchmarks help municipal and national planners construct transparent regulatory ecosystems, elevate corporate ecological responsibility, and reinforce cross-sector trust between state agencies, private business enterprises, and civil society.

The official emphasized that globally recognized certifications such as LEED, BREEAM, WELL, Green Key, Eco-Schools, and Blue Flag have become increasingly vital metrics worldwide, providing actionable, data-driven frameworks for environmental management and resilient urban growth.

According to the coordinator, the "EcoSphere" Center has actively participated in the institutional programs of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) since 2018, systematically piloting international environmental and educational initiatives inside Azerbaijan.

She pointed out that the Green Key program actively drives the adoption of sustainable management workflows within the hospitality and tourism sectors, specifically targeting optimized energy and water-use efficiency while expanding environmental literacy among service staff and international guests.

Concurrently, the Eco-Schools framework focuses on the environmental education of children and young demographics, comprehensively covering critical core topics including climate change dynamics, biodiversity preservation, solid waste management, freshwater resource protection, and sustainable lifestyle practices.

"International standards serve as a vital common language linking different nations. They allow us to seamlessly collaborate, execute cross-border knowledge transfers, and collectively construct a far more resilient global future," Hadjieva underlined.

Concluding her address, she noted that Azerbaijan remains deeply committed to its participation in these international environmental initiatives, intending to aggressively scale its operations across ecological education networks, sustainable certifications, and public community engagement to meet long-term sustainability goals.

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