IEPF held an event titled “Transition to a Circular and Green Economy” at WUF13

On May 20, within the framework of WUF13, an event titled “Transition to a Circular and Green Economy: Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Urban Development” was held with the support of the Agency for State Support to Non-Governmental Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan and organized by the International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF).

The event held at the NGO Agency’s pavilion located in the “WUF13 Urban Expo,” the President of IEPF, Umud Mirzayev, delivered the opening speech and first expressed his gratitude to the NGO Agency.

“First of all, I would like to thank the Agency for State Support to Non-Governmental Organizations for its support in organizing this event within the framework of WUF13. The topic we are discussing today — the transition to a green and circular economy — is highly relevant and strategically important. In fact, these two directions represent the new philosophy of the cities of the future. Azerbaijan is also taking significant steps in this area. In particular, the ‘smart city’ and ‘smart village’ projects implemented in the liberated territories, as well as the creation of green energy zones, are real examples of a sustainable development model,” Mirzayev stated.

Afterwards, Oscar Nuñez, Policy Officer at the Secretariat of the World Association of the Major Metropolises, spoke on “The Contribution of Solar Energy and Green Energy Solutions to Urban Development”; Zahid Farrukh Mammadov, Deputy Director of the Institute of Economic Research at Azerbaijan State University of Economics (UNEC), delivered a presentation titled “From the ‘Concrete Economy’ to a Green Urbanization Model”;

Nik Nwolisa, PhD candidate in World Economy at Khazar University and researcher-writer, addressed the topic “From Oil Dependency to Circular Sustainability: Azerbaijan’s Green Economy Path for Sustainable Urban Development”; and Farida Ali, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Nutrition and Medical Ecology at Azerbaijan Medical University, spoke on “Urban Planning and Human Health.”

At the end of the event, an interactive question-and-answer session was held between the speakers and participants.

During the session, participants exchanged views on the impact of the transition to a green and circular economy on urban planning policy, the role of renewable energy sources in the urban.