A Call for Human Rights and Climate Justice in Azerbaijan
In December 2023, Azerbaijan won the privilege of hosting the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29). This decision quickly garnered criticism from the human rights and climate justice communities. The move placed the conference in an oil-rich, authoritarian state whose economy and political stability depend heavily on fossil fuel production and repression. President Ilham Aliyev's regime’s long history of political repression, media censorship, and crackdowns on civil society presented a stark contradiction to the principles of climate action and environmental justice.
Civil society groups—including Azerbaijani activists in exile and international NGOs—mobilized under the Demand Rights at COP campaign to expose these contradictions and demand accountability.
The Goals and Objectives of Demand Rights at COP
Demand Rights at COP spotlighted the regime's abuse of human rights and demanded that Azerbaijan address these issues before and during the conference. The campaign aimed to ensure that COP29 was a platform for meaningful climate dialogue and that it reflected the values of human rights and inclusion. It aimed to counter the false image being put forward by the Aliyev regime, making clear to COP29 participants and the broader world that civil society is not free in Azerbaijan and that environmental and human rights defenders pay the price for their activism with their freedom.
The campaign launched on September 11, 2024—two months before COP29—with a joint statement signed by over 50 human rights and climate organizations. The statement called for Azerbaijan to uphold its international human rights and climate justice obligations.
Key demands on the Azerbaijani government included:
● The release of political prisoners who were wrongfully detained;
● The reform of restrictive laws affecting NGOs, media, and environmental defenders; and
● Accountability for government officials involved in torture and ill-treatment.
They were matched by calls on the international community–including the UN body responsible for COP under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the European Union, United States, and other UN Member States–to leverage their political and economic influence to urge Azerbaijani authorities to take these steps.
The demands were rooted in the belief–acknowledged by the UNFCCC itself–that an inclusive environment of freedom of expression and association is necessary to design and deliver meaningful climate action. Without this, Azerbaijan’s approach would remain incompatible with the open dialogue needed to address the global climate crisis.
Campaign Actions
To maximize advocacy impact, the campaign involved multiple actions and outreach efforts:
● Collaboration with global allies: The campaign attracted over 50 signatories from human rights and climate organizations worldwide, creating a unified front for pressing Azerbaijan to end its abuses.
● Engagement with policymakers: Campaign members engaged in direct advocacy with the UN, Member States, and international financial institutions.
● Public advocacy: Through a central website, media engagement, op-eds, and public events, the campaign raised awareness about the dire human rights situation in Azerbaijan, demonstrating that such a climate inhibits addressing and achieving global climate goals. The campaign developed a tourist-style walking map, “Uncover the Real Baku,” highlighting sites of environmental concern and human rights violations.
Outcomes and Impact
Key achievements included:
● Visibility for political prisoners: By publishing the profiles of Azerbaijani political prisoners and telling their stories at public events and international fora the campaign brought attention to the plight of dozens among the over 350 individuals arbitrarily detained by the regime.
● Media coverage: The campaign played a crucial role in ensuring that reporting on COP29's proceedings included coverage of Azerbaijan’s human rights abuses. Coverage linked the country’s repressive policies to the failure of COP29 to meet its climate goals.
● Increased advocacy momentum: Campaign members successfully encouraged policymakers from the United States, the European Union, and the UN to publicly call for the release of political prisoners and demand civil society participation at COP29.
However, these efforts faced significant resistance. Ultimately, no political prisoners were freed and the Azerbaijani government further tightened restrictions on civil society participation at COP29. President Ilham Aliyev brazenly defended his dirty energy policies and expressed hostility towards Europe, with direct attacks on France and the Netherlands His stance made clear that Azerbaijan’s governance was not just out of step with the climate goals of COP29 but actively pulling in the opposite direction.
Challenges and Lessons Learned
The campaign faced several internal and external challenges, including:
● Geopolitical factors: European and U.S. energy interests–particularly in accessing cheap gas from Azerbaijan–undermined meaningful human rights advocacy. This geopolitical reality made it difficult for the international community to take decisive action against the regime.
● Repression and harassment: The Azerbaijani government's use of repression, including transnational intimidation tactics, hampered the campaign’s ability to engage key voices, particularly those of activists in exile.
● Siloed efforts: While the campaign successfully united human rights and climate groups, divisions within each sector sometimes hindered collaborative action, especially on sensitive geopolitical issues.
Moving Forward: The Need for Continued Advocacy
The Demand Rights at COP campaign laid an important foundation for essential future advocacy. Sustained engagement is crucial to ensuring Azerbaijan's human rights record remains in the spotlight. This involves:
● supporting independent civil society by expanding and facilitating access to financial support and protection for at-risk activists and human rights defenders in Azerbaijan and in exile;
● building long-term partnerships between civil society organizations, governments, and international bodies to place continued pressure on Azerbaijan’s regime; and
● adapting tactics from the campaign, informed by lessons learned and further strategic discussions, to refine civil society advocacy efforts around future human rights and climate crises, including advocacy at COP30.
The Demand Rights at COP29 campaign made one thing clear: the fight for climate justice cannot be separated from the fight for human rights. While the road to change remains long, the campaign sparked a vital conversation, drawing attention to Azerbaijan’s violations and laying the groundwork for a movement that will only grow stronger.