Speaker of the Milli Majlis and Head of the Azerbaijani Delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union Sahiba Gafarova addressed the 149^th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union held in Geneva, Swiss Confederation, and themed ‘Harnessing Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) for a More Peaceful and Sustainable Future’.

Welcoming the event participants, Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova wished that the forthcoming deliberations at the Assembly be successful and productive.

‘Science, technology, and innovation have always been central to development aspirations of societies. Today, their critical role in achieving Sustainable Development Goals has been widely acknowledged. Indeed, given that STI are closely related to most of the SDGs, they have enormous potential to make a crucial impact on the realisation phase of the SDGs,’ Speaker Gafarova was saying.

‘Unfortunately, according to reports, with only five years remaining before the expiration of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals, only 17 percent of SDG targets are on track to be met on time. This is quite a worrying situation.

‘The global community has put forward determination to achieve its collectively defined development goals for the benefit of all. Until now, dozens of resolutions, declarations have been adopted, many forums have been held, where clear intentions and commitments have been articulated. Instead, inequalities still remain intact, several challenges slow down and even set back progress, the gap between developed and developing countries is widening further. Taking into consideration, the current situation, it is high time to take real steps and provide viable solutions.

‘Talking about the role of science, technology and innovation in building more peaceful and sustainable future, the issue of their accessibility and affordability comes to the forefront. If they are only accessible and affordable to developed countries, communities and individuals, then such situation will not provide any solutions and negative impacts of any given challenge will only further increase.

‘The lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic, when certain countries tried to prioritize their own needs for vaccines, using their technological advantages, should not be forgotten.

‘If we aspire to achieve collective realisation of SDGs and thus leave no one behind, STI should be accessible and affordable to all. Developing countries should identify the measures that are needed to integrate science, technology and innovation policies into their national development strategies. But this integration should be promoted through extensive cooperation in financial and technical assistance, capacity-building, technology transfer, sharing experiences and best practices.

‘Let me say that parliaments can and have to play an active role in creating favourable environment for promotion of STI, formulating national development programs, supporting technology sharing and contributing to strengthening partnerships between the countries’

Sahiba Gafarova emphasised the role of the Inter of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, which not only possesses political will, but also practical tools to drive parliaments’ joint efforts forward and make their voices heard.

‘Science, technology and innovation maintains a central place also in my country Azerbaijan’s development agenda. SDG goals and targets have already been incorporated into national development plans and strategies. Modern innovations and competitive human capital are one of the five priority areas of the new socio-economic development strategy until 2030,’ Sahiba Gafarova continued.

‘A digitally-focused society that supports cutting edge technology industries and innovation, increasing the technological capacities of the economy are envisaged as the driving force for development. Besides, STI are important driving force for Azerbaijan’s activities in developing its renewable energy potential and establishing green energy zones in the liberated Garabagh and Eastern Zangazur regions.

‘I firmly believe that in such an interdependent world, where global challenges demand collective responses, countries have moral obligation to facilitate each other’s development aspirations. Since 2020, Azerbaijan has provided humanitarian, economic, and technical assistance worth 330 million US Dollars to over 140 nations.

‘In the framework of the Summit of the NAM Contact Group on fight against COVID-19 held in Azerbaijan in March 2023, His Excellency, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, declared two Global Calls to support the post-pandemic recovery of Africa and Small Island Developing States. The Calls envisage direct financial support, enhancing education opportunities, capacity-building and other technical tools.

‘Many argue that science, technology and innovation initiatives should address all three dimensions of sustainable development - economic development, social progress and environmental protection. I believe that environmental protection gains an utmost significance in the face of the urgent global challenge such as climate change.

‘COP29 is fast approaching. It will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan in November this year and preparations are in full swing. Technology has an important place within the vision of COP29 Azerbaijani Presidency, because it is a crucial component of the global response to climate change. It plays a pivotal role for facilitating both effective mitigation and adaptation action.

‘Our Presidency has put forward 14 initiatives, one of which is Green Digital Action initiative. The landmark first ever Digitalization Day will also be hosted at COP29, which will offer a platform to elevate the discourse on the indispensable role of digital technologies in confronting the climate crisis. A dedicated high-level roundtable and the associated Ministerial Declaration will also be launched on this day.

‘Taking into consideration importance of the issue of climate change in parliamentary deliberations, the IPU and the parliament of Azerbaijan will organize a Parliamentary Meeting in the framework of the COP29. Our teams are already finalising the preparations for this event.’

Sahiba Gafarova invited the Assembly participants to the Parliamentary Meeting and called on them to take an active part in it. She stressed that together we could turn it into an important milestone of parliamentary contribution to multilateral climate action.

The Press and Public Relations Department

The Milli Majlis