Azerbaijan

PERMANENT MISSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF
Azerbaijan
TO THE UNITED NATIONS
866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 560, New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel.: [phone] Fax: [phone]
11 May 2006
CSD 14
High-level Segment: THE WAY FORWARD
Statement by Mr. Yashar Aliyev, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Azerbaijan to
the United Nations, Head of Delegation
Mr. Chairman,
Energy is central to the promotion of global development and growth and thus,
ensuring access to energy services is a priority task ahead of us. Efficiency of supply
chain and consumption is a prerequisite for combating energy poverty globally; and it
continues to constitute a multifaceted challenge for energy producing/exporting and
consumer countries alike. Furthermore, stability in respective regions, security of
energy corridors, tight refining capacities, natural disasters are among key factors
impacting energy security, and thus meriting international attention in all relevant
debates.
Azerbaijan, as an oil and gas producing country, believes that while considering
energy security related challenges and obstacles and solutions, it is important to be
realistic both in terms of financial and technological capacities of developing
countries and of current global energy consumption trends and patterns, where fossil
fuels account for the largest share.
Global partnership is crucial not only for securing efficiency of supply, but also for
reinforcing efforts towards environmental protection. It is important to support and
strengthen capacity building, cooperation and research efforts of countries in need. In
this line, it is of crucial importance to facilitate access of oil producing and exporting
countries to advanced, cleaner and more efficient fossil fuel technologies, including
inter alia, those for carbon capture and storage, at affordable price; to support transfer
of such technologies, including through innovative sources of funding such as the
Clean Development Mechanism. We should increase our attention to natural gas,
which is a clean energy source and strengthen international support to the efforts of
exporting countries toward strengthening their capacity in controlling gas flaring and
venting.
Mr. Chairman, energy represents a key input to the industrial production and GDP
growth. Thus, it is crucial to explore cost-effective opportunities to reduce energy use,
pollutant loadings and to foster financial and environmental performance of industrial
units. We are convinced that higher policy priority should be assigned to energy
efficiency in development programmes and strategies and more resources should be
allocated to the activities on energy efficiency at the national, regional and global
levels. Private sector has also an important role to play in promoting sound HSE
(health, safety and environment) policy and respecting the CSR (corporate social
responsibility).
Mr. Chairman, implementation of commitments under the UNFCCC and its Kyoto
Protocol and environmental transparency should be a priority objective in the process
of development planning in all countries.
Mr. Chairman,
On its part Azerbaijan will continue to contribute to regional energy security,
primarily through the BTC and BTE projects and support the diversification of energy
supply to global markets. Looking ahead Azerbaijan believes that for the cycle to be
successful we should focus on practical, commercially viable and doable options and
lay a passable way forward.