Azerbaijan has been elected as the Chair of the Central and Eastern Europe Regional Group for a two-year term and a member of the COP16 Bureau.

Axar.az reports that Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has released a statement on this.

It was reported that within the framework of the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, which is being held in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on December 2-13, 2024, the Republic of Azerbaijan has been unanimously elected as the Chair to the Central and Eastern Europe Regional Group for a two-year term and a member of the COP16 Bureau.

"During the chairmanship, our country will also implement the vice-presidency of the Conference of the Parties of the organization.

The group includes 15 Eastern and Central European countries, along with the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The Regional Action Programme of the UNCCD Eastern and Central Europe group, established in 2001 within the framework of COP5, was approved in 2015. Within the group, priority areas such as strengthening regional activities, increasing knowledge, ecological agriculture, etc. were identified.

The main tasks of the COP16 Bureau, which represents 12 regions, are to oversee the implementation of COP decisions and organize work on future COP sessions. The COP Bureau also oversees the implementation of commitments made between COP sessions," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.