Baku, 2 December 2025 — ADA University, in its capacity as Chair of the Coordination Council of the CICA Partnership Network of Leading Universities (PNLU), hosted the international conference “The Role of Universities in Green Energy and Sustainability”, convening more than 50 university faculty members, scholars, policymakers and experts from 21 CICA Member States to discuss the contribution of higher education to green transformation, sustainable development, climate resilience and cross-border cooperation. The two-day programme featured thematic sessions on green energy, cross-sector partnerships, and youth engagement.
Addressing the opening ceremony, ADA University Vice Rector and Member of the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan, Mr. Fariz Ismailzade, underlined the significant role of universities in advancing green energy and proposed establishing a dedicated platform for climate-change cooperation among PNLU member institutions.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Lead Negotiator for COP29, Mr. Yalchin Rafiyev, welcomed participants on behalf of the Azerbaijani Chairmanship in CICA. He emphasized that education, science and innovation constitute a central pillar of Azerbaijan’s efforts to build “a stronger CICA” focused on connectivity, digitalization and sustainable growth. He highlighted the successful operationalization of the PNLU, Azerbaijan’s broader contributions to CICA’s institutional development, and shared insights from Azerbaijan’s COP29 presidency.
Delivering a keynote statement CICA Deputy Secretary General Ms. Zhang Ling underscored the increasing strategic relevance of sustainable and green energy issues for the CICA region and highlighted the essential contribution of universities, as centres of knowledge, innovation and evidence-based policymaking, to advancing the green agenda. Drawing on the priorities of the Azerbaijani Chairmanship in CICA for 2024–2026, she emphasized the rapidly expanding PNLU, which now comprises nearly 200 universities from 12 Member States, and reaffirmed the Network’s role as an umbrella platform for academic exchange, research collaboration and policy dialogue across a wide spectrum of Confidence Building Measures (CBMs).
Ms. Zhang Ling stressed that cooperation among universities is indispensable for strengthening regional resilience, developing innovative solutions, and preparing future generations to address emerging challenges, expressing confidence that the conference discussions would generate practical recommendations to support the implementation of the education and science CBMs and contribute to advancing sustainable development across the CICA region.
Throughout the conference, speakers exchanged practical insights, best practices and innovative approaches to accelerating green development, strengthening inter-university partnerships and supporting policy solutions for climate resilience across Asia.
The event concluded with a shared commitment to further activate the PNLU as a driver of academic integration and to advance the environmental priorities of the Azerbaijani Chairmanship in CICA for 2024–2026.
