Leyla Aliyeva: Baku forum to promote understanding, co-op across world

Baku, Azerbaijan, April 25 Trend: The Youth Forum kicked off in Baku April 25 as part of the 7th UNAOC Global Forum and Vice-president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Leyla Aliyeva welcomed the participants and guests. Aliyeva expressed joy of having some of the most interesting and intelligent people gather in Azerbaijan. She went on to express hope that the Baku forum will contribute to joint efforts of promoting understanding and cooperation across the world. She further said that Azerbaijan is the land of ancient traditions, rich history, a place that is on the crossroads of East and West. "In days gone by, Azerbaijan was a major center on the historic Silk Road," Aliyeva said, adding that this has had an incredible impact on the culture of Azerbaijani people, making Azerbaijan a country that believes in tolerance, new ideas and dialogue. She went on to say that Azerbaijan's unique geographic position also had an impact on its landscape. Aliyeva reminded that Azerbaijan is place full of mountains, forests, meadows and lowlands. "In fact, Azerbaijan has 9 of 11 climatic zones, giving us a very rich and natural environment and biodiversity," she added. "We are very lucky in Azerbaijan to have such an incredible history, diverse culture, and rich biodiversity, and I am sure you will enjoy your stay in our country," she said. Aliyeva the went on to speak as the Goodwill ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). "I know these statistics are a bit terrifying," she said. "Today one person dies every four seconds, because of hunger or hunger-related causes." Aliyeva said that what is more sad is that children are the ones that die most often. She went on to say that FAO with the Zero Hunger Generation initiative has a role to play in this regard. "We must all work together and try hard to insure a world where no child dies of hunger and malnutrition," Aliyeva said. She went on to say that food is an integral part of human culture identity, and can serve as a powerful instrument in establishing cross-cultural understanding and tolerance. Aliyeva said that intercultural dialogue plays an important role in sustainable development and achieving food security, which is important for long-term stability and peace. "As most of you know, in 2011, we've launched the IDEA (International Dialogue for Environmental Action) campaign," she said, adding that the intention was to create strong tools that would tackle environmental threats. "In other words, to ensure green and safer future for the younger generation. Our slogan speaks for itself - one earth, one future," she said. "It is encouraging that every year more and more people join our campaign, and most of them are just volunteers, who do it from their heart, their passion and their love of the environment," Leyla Aliyeva said. She then spoke about the IDEA campaign projects of the last five years. "We've planted over five million trees in just five years across the country," Aliyeva said. "And we've recently started working with local communities to prevent the trees from being cut down." She went on to say that IDEA's education program engages young people of different age, from kids as young as five years old, to students and even older professionals. At IDEA we are also delighted to be working in partnership with such prominent and national organizations as FAO, UNEP, WWF, Leyla Aliyeva said. She went on to say that one of the most important things that IDEA does is making the subject on the environment and stability more engaging to young people. "Too often this important subject is seen as too boring and complex," Aliyeva said. "This is why we try to approach all our projects, all our programs in a very fun, entertaining and creative way." Aliyeva then said that IDEA has also done a lot of work over the past years to protect the endangered species, including gazelles and leopards, as well as establishing the "Caucasian Big Five", which includes brown bear, grey wolf, an imperial eagle, a gazelle and a Caucasian leopard. Leyla Aliyeva reminded that 50 years ago a Caspian tiger lived in Azerbaijan. "It is my dream that one day it will appear in Azerbaijan again and all our dreams can come true," she said. Aliyeva said that IDEA is committed to action, practical environmental steps that young people can take to lead the way in their families, communities and countries. She went on to remind that humanity today is facing a certain threat. "Our losses are now counted not by years but by minutes," she said. "As we speak here, every 15 minutes an elephant dies at the hands of poachers, and as many as 11,000 sharks are killed by humans every hour. Bit by bit, we are approaching time when all species will be extinct." Leyla Aliyeva once again thanked everyone for participating in the forum. "I know that each and every single one of us can make a difference to protect our environment for our future, but not only for our future." she said, adding that it is important to meet each other, to share ideas, to speak. She said the most important is what is happening right now, and it is time to act. Leyla Aliyeva wished the guests love, health and happiness and to believe that the future will only be greener, brighter and better.