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Organisations from around the world have issued a Baku Forest Declaration pressing an urgent need to prioritise forest protection, indigenous rights and climate justice to global leaders at the 29th Conference of Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
A document signed by the Global Forest Coalition (GFC) and allied members from Central Asia and the Caucasus has been submitted to the leaders gathered in Baku, Azerbaijan. It has demanded that the COP29 presidency and countries agree to comply with the Paris Agreement of limiting global temperatures to address the destructive impacts of forest fires and deforestation.
Parties have demanded recognition of natural forests’ crucial role and perceiving them as ecosystems, rather than market-droves solutions for achieving sustainable climate action.
Groups from Armenia, Russia, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan underlined the alarming impact of fires and deforestation on local ecosystems and biodiversity, according to a GFC statement.
“The coalition calls for the protection of Indigenous People’s rights and the recognition of their traditional knowledge in forest conservation, advocating for policies that go beyond merely seeing forests as carbon sinks,” the statement read.
Andrey Laletin, GFC Regional Coordinator for Central Asia and Eastern Europe, said forests are not mere carbon stocks. “They are homes, water reservoirs, and lifelines for millions, especially in regions like Central Asia and the Caucasus,” he said, adding, “Climate policies must focus on community-based, gender-just, and rights-based solutions.”
The Baku Declaration highlights that 2024 has been a critical year due to fires in the Amazon which have decimated forest areas larger than some countries in the world and wiped out biodiversity.
In Russia, more than 10,000 forest fires burned over 7.7 million hectares in 2024—six times the area of all forests in Azerbaijan (1.2 million hectares), the declaration noted.
The draft stated that climate change is a major driver in such a situation. However, it is imperative to understand the limitations of legal systems and policies, the organisations said.
These systems and policies, while being aware of the value of the destroyed forests (timber), ignore the huge diversity of life forms residing in such forests, which is destroyed in fires.
Citing COP 29 as a unique opportunity, the draft aims to seek attention on protection and restoration of forests in the Caucasus and Central Asia.
“The forests of this region play a very important role in water regulation and protection. Mountain forests are “factories” of clean water, the deficit of which is becoming increasingly acute; they provide water to areas located far from mountain ranges,” the draft stated.
It said the impact of climate change is more profound compared to the global average. Countries from the region should make the most of the next two decades to implement large scale afforestation and restoration of local natural forest ecosystems comprising of mountains, desert and river-gallery forests.
The organisations demanded special attention to be given for floodplain river-gallery forests of Central Asia which are highly vulnerable and damaged ecosystems among the others in the world.
It noted that these ecosystems have high water conservation value and degradation due to development of the region, alterations in the hydrology of rivers and the impacts of climate change.
“The remaining river-gallery forests are subject to unconditional protection and restoration. It is necessary to take measures to promote their natural renewal and the preservation of their unique biodiversity through better management of river flows and the creation of basin management mechanisms at the regional level, through giving special conservation status to the best preserved natural areas, control of economic activities in unprotected areas, and the involvement of local communities in the management of these forests and protected areas,” the draft noted.
The groups called for recognising the rights of indigenous peoples and traditional knowledge in climate decision-making.
They demanded commitment to human rights-based approach, need to stopping of false solutions including REDD+ mechanisms and carbon markets.
Assured community-based and gender funding, prioritising climate justice and equity and strengthening forest protection in national climate strategies are among other demands made by the organisations.
“The Baku Forest Declaration sends a strong message to the international community at COP 29. Protecting our forests and empowering Indigenous communities to participate in climate decision-making are indispensable to achieving climate stability,” said Anna Kirilenko, GFC chair in the press statement.
