Blueing the Caspian Sea Represented at Baku Climate Action Week 2026

Building on the legacy of COP29 and looking ahead to COP31, Baku Climate Action Week 2026 brings together policymakers, international organizations, businesses, researchers, civil society and other stakeholders to exchange perspectives, strengthen partnerships and advance climate action across Azerbaijan, the wider region and beyond.

The Blueing the Caspian Sea Project was represented by Simonetta Siligato, UNOPS Austria Multi-Country Director, during the panel “Climate change challenges on the inland water bodies: Caspian Sea case.” The session explored the changing Caspian coastline and the decisions, partnerships and investments needed to strengthen the resilience of coastal ecosystems, communities, infrastructure and economies.

A key message brought into the discussion was simple: a shared sea needs shared evidence.

The Caspian Sea is one interconnected hydrological system shared by five states. Building resilience therefore depends on stronger scientific cooperation, comparable data and common approaches to pollution monitoring. Shared knowledge platforms and compatible monitoring systems can help ensure that information collected in one country can support decisions across the wider region.

The region already has an important foundation for this cooperation through the Tehran Convention and its protocols. Blueing the Caspian Sea builds on that framework by supporting the technical capacity, financing and coordination needed to turn regional cooperation into practical action.

Financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), implemented by the World Bank and executed by UNOPS, Blueing the Caspian Sea Project is helping Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan strengthen pollution monitoring and biodiversity planning, while building the national capacities needed to better protect the Caspian Sea and its ecosystems.

This cooperation is becoming increasingly urgent as climate-driven water-level changes place growing pressure on the Caspian’s ecosystems, infrastructure, livelihoods and coastal communities. Investing in shared science, common platforms and joint planning can help countries respond more effectively to challenges that no single country can address alone.

For Blueing the Caspian Sea, the discussion reinforced the importance of connecting national action with regional cooperation — building the shared knowledge and capacity needed for a more resilient Caspian Sea.