UN-Habitat Launches Projects In Azerbaijan Within Climate Adaptation Programme (Interview)

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. Specific projects are planned to be prepared and preliminary work implemented this year within the framework of the UN Habitat's $10 million climate adaptation programme in Azerbaijan, a program manager at the UN Habitat office in Azerbaijan, Runze Wang, told Trend in an interview.

According to him, the $10 million Adaptation Fund programme is a four-year initiative implemented by UN-Habitat in partnership with UNEP and IOM, under the leadership of Azerbaijan's Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources.

"It combines national-level climate planning with three very concrete local pilots in Greater Baku, Neftchala and Astara," he said.

Wang noted that in Baku, we are preparing a climate-resilient hybrid park combining urban greening and public space with stormwater management and water-sensitive design.

"In Neftchala, the programme will develop an enhanced early-warning system addressing risks including flooding, sea- and river-level fluctuations and salinisation, with the objective of improving timely information for more than 20,000 people," he explained.

According to him, in Astara, the focus is on rainwater harvesting and integrated water management. demonstrating how rainfall can be captured and reused rather than simply becoming runoff.

Wang pointed out that during this year, the emphasis will be on preparatory work for projects.

"During 2026, the emphasis is on getting these investments right: site assessments, baseline data, consultations, feasibility work and technical preparation. These are the first results we expect to see over the coming months. Physical installations and construction will then follow in subsequent implementation stages," he clarified.

The programme manager stressed that for climate adaptation, good preparation is itself a result.

"The objective is not simply to build quickly, but to make sure that what we build remains useful under future climate conditions," Wang noted.

Changes in Caspian Sea level

Wang said that there is no single infrastructure solution to protect people and urban infrastructure in coastal areas such as Baku, Neftchala, and Astara, amid changes in the level of the Caspian Sea and increasing climate risks.

"Our approach is to combine better climate data, risk-informed spatial planning, nature-based solutions, early warning and smarter water management.

According to him, urban infrastructure is designed for long-term use, but environmental conditions change.

"A road, a port, a drainage outlet or a neighbourhood cannot simply move when a shoreline changes. This is why cities increasingly need adaptive and anticipatory spatial planning-using different climate and water-level scenarios to understand how settlements, infrastructure and ecosystems may interact in the future," Wang mentioned.

He underscored that the three pilots will allow to apply this approach in different directions.

"In Baku, the hybrid park will explore how public space can also function as climate infrastructure-helping absorb and manage stormwater, reduce heat and improve urban liveability," he noted.

Indicating the intersection of river, coastal and salinity risks in Neftchala, the programme manager said that early warning and risk information can help authorities and communities act earlier.

"In Astara, rainwater harvesting and improved water management can turn heavy rainfall from a potential hazard into a usable resource.

A useful way to think about this is: cities can face too little water and too much water at the same time. The challenge is not only how much water exists, but where it is, when it arrives, and how the urban fabric responds to it," he emphasized.

Next priority after COP29 and WUF13

Wang said that after Azerbaijan hosted major international events such as COP29 and WUF13, the main priority was to translate the dynamics achieved at the international level into practical results.

"I believe the next priority is implementation-turning the international momentum created by COP29 and WUF13 into practical changes in how cities are planned, financed and built," he pointed out.

According to him, one of the important messages emerging from WUF13 in Baku was the need to connect climate resilience with integrated spatial planning, infrastructure, public space, housing, data, local government capacity, and finance.

"The Caspian provides a very concrete context in which to apply that thinking," Wang said.

He further pointed out that UN-Habitat's main advantage is at the interface between climate evidence and urban decision-making.

"We can support in translating climate and vulnerability data into spatial plans, strengthening municipal and national planning capacities, developing nature-based and water-sensitive urban solutions," he noted.

According to Wang, UN-Habitat can also help to prepare adaptation projects that are sufficiently robust and well-designed to attract further public, private, and international climate finance.

"The Adaptation Fund programme can serve as an important demonstration platform for this. Working with MENR, UNEP, IOM, local authorities and other partners, we want to generate practical lessons that can be replicated beyond the three pilot locations," he concluded.

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