Azerbaijan’s Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, Ambassador Elman Abdullayev has delivered the country’s national statement at the 221st session of the UNESCO Executive Board in Paris.

The national statement highlighted Azerbaijan's significant attention to UNESCO's global priorities, namely Africa and gender equality, as well as the effective implementation of the organization's leading programs. Azerbaijan is ready to cooperate with UNESCO and its member states in an open, transparent, and inclusive manner to achieve these goals.

Ambassador Abdullayev underscored Azerbaijan's active support as a UNESCO donor country, emphasizing its contributions to African development. He specifically cited Azerbaijan's support for initiatives focused on preserving Africa's rich cultural and natural heritage and fostering capacity building.

The ambassador also highlighted the "Baku Process" and "Peace4Culture” initiatives, through which Azerbaijan promotes a peace culture worldwide.

The statement also highlighted education-related initiatives undertaken at both national and international levels—an area of strategic priority for Azerbaijan—including the country’s active participation in frameworks such as STEAM, TVET, the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme, and ASPnet.

The statement touched upon the importance of preserving cultural heritage and, in this context, provided information about the international conference on "Preserving Ancient Human Settlements: Threats and Modern Approaches" held in Azerbaijan this March with the participation of UNESCO.

The session participants were also informed about Azerbaijan's active participation in the fight against climate change, highlighting the successful hosting of the global COP29 summit.

Elman Abdullayev also spoke of restoration of Azerbaijan's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the post-conflict situation in the South Caucasus, and the extensive destruction caused by Armenia's 30-year occupation.

The ambassador stated that the appeal made by the Azerbaijani government, numerous non-governmental organizations, and the West Azerbaijan Community to UNESCO to send a fact-finding mission to assess the situation—expressing deep concern over the destruction of Azerbaijani cultural heritage in Armenia—is a legitimate demand of the Azerbaijani people.

The statement also provided an update on reconstruction efforts in liberated territories and the return of displaced populations, highlighting the ongoing threat posed by landmines and unexploded ordnance, which have resulted in over 400 victims since 2020.