‘We first thought hosting COP29 could ease the pressure on local civil society – but we were wrong’
CIVICUS discusses the human rights situation in Azerbaijan as the country prepares to host the COP29 climate summit with Emin Huseynov, an Azerbaijani journalist and human rights activist in exile. Emin was forced to flee the country and stripped of his citizenship, and has been living in political exile since 2015. He’s the lead campaigner for the Climate Observers Partnership, a coalition of local and international civil society organisations (CSOs) raising awareness about the situation in Azerbaijan.
COP29, the latest conference on the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change, will take place in November in Azerbaijan, an authoritarian petrostate with closed civic space and close relations with Iran and Russia. The choice of host has raised concerns among CSOs, as a successful COP requires extensive domestic and international civil society participation.
Why was Azerbaijan chosen to host COP29?
The choice of Azerbaijan to host COP29 was a successful operation by authoritarian states, including Azerbaijan, Russia and the United Arab Emirates, supported by the Non-Aligned Movement, which Azerbaijan has chaired for the past few years thanks to Russia’s support.
The original candidates were Armenia, Azerbaijan and Bulgaria. Russia initially blocked Bulgaria because of its stance on sanctions, and when it came down to Armenia and Azerbaijan, it pushed Armenia to withdraw. Armenia even ended up supporting Azerbaijan under Russian pressure, even though the two states have a serious territorial conflict.
This felt like a clear example of political corruption that could affect the UN’s credibility. Countries with authoritarian regimes and poor civic space shouldn’t be eligible to host major UN events, as they are unlikely to facilitate meaningful participation by all stakeholders.
How did Azerbaijani civil society react to this?
We first thought hosting COP29 could ease the pressure on local civil society. But we were wrong. Five organisations formed a coalition called Climate of Justice to mobilise civil society ahead of COP29 but one of its leaders, Anar Mammadli, was arrested and the group had to stop its activities. The risks became just too high for those involved.
The government then intensified its crackdown, with the number of political prisoners tripling over the past year. Many of these prisoners are civil society activists or political opposition members. The government’s strategy is clear: increase repression as the summit approaches. Civil society groups are under extreme pressure. They cannot speak publicly, they face major threats and their space to operate is severely restricted. What little civic and political space there was has now been completely shut down, and it will likely continue to worsen.
After Azerbaijan was confirmed as host in June, the government called early parliamentary elections for 1 September. Unsurprisingly, with minimal campaigning and no participation by the leading opposition party, the party of President Ilham Aliyev – who won a fifth consecutive term in February with over 92 per cent of the vote – won a comfortable majority.
Only Azerbaijani civil society activists in exile, like me, are still able to make critical statements and mobilise. So we formed another coalition, the Climate Observers Partnership, made up mainly of exiled climate observers and some local members who must remain anonymous for security reasons. But we feel betrayed even by like-minded states. It seems no one cares about Azerbaijani civil society.
What are your expectations for COP29?
COP29 seems to be a lost cause for us. It’s highly unlikely any local CSOs will be able to participate. Only one has been accepted and it is closely linked to the president’s family. This organisation has submitted a proposal to hold a side event at the summit. The Climate Observers Partnership has also made an application to hold a side event with a Cameroonian partner, Green and Better World, but has not yet received confirmation.
We have been given delegate accreditation badges, but many of us are unsure if we will be able to attend. The government doesn’t want exiled activists at an international event. I can’t go to Azerbaijan because the government has revoked my citizenship. I won a case in the European Court of Human Rights, which ruled that this decision was illegal, but delays in implementing the ruling have left me stateless.
Another important issue is funding. Azerbaijani civil society hasn’t received any support from international donors, apart from small grants for rapid response activities.
We don’t really expect the Azerbaijani government to make any meaningful commitments at COP29. They may talk about integrating climate finance systems, but this is a regime known for corruption and money laundering. It’s hard to take their grand speeches seriously when they’re stealing from their people.
But we see COP29 as an opportunity to highlight the government’s failures and expose its false promises and the gaps between what it says and what it does. We’ve launched a petition and started planning activities. Azerbaijani activists in exile have joined forces with those in the country to make our voices heard on international platforms. We understand that many in Azerbaijan may fear repercussions for this kind of activism, so those in exile are ready to take the lead.
Our efforts won’t end with COP29, as Azerbaijan will hold the COP presidency until COP30 in Brazil in 2025. During this time, we’ll continue to advocate for civic space, democracy, human rights and climate justice in Azerbaijan.
How can international allies support these efforts?
We need all the support we can get. International civil society can help us by sharing our petition and communicating and raising awareness about what’s happening in Azerbaijan. Working with like-minded countries can also help us amplify our efforts, as they can help deliver our message during COP. We need to work together to ensure that human rights and climate justice are at the heart of COP29.
We hope the international media will also focus on the ongoing repression in Azerbaijan. I’ve started giving interviews to international CSOs, think tanks and the media, and I sense that interest is growing. By raising awareness, we may be able to put pressure on the government to release civil society activists and political prisoners. That’s one of my main expectations: to use this platform to bring human rights issues to the fore and push for real change.
Get in touch with the Climate Observers Partnership through its website, and follow @EminHuseynovAZ on Twitter.