ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Tuesday attended the 29^th UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) taking place in Azerbaijan’s Baku, urging united efforts to tackle the climate crisis.

“I’m pleased to attend #COP29 in Baku. This annual gathering is an important opportunity for us to take meaningful steps toward a sustainable future,” wrote the Kurdistan Region president on X.

“Together, we can tackle climate change and build a healthier planet for generations to come,” he added.

Barzani arrived in the Azerbaijani capital on Monday upon the formal invitation of the country’s President Ilham Aliyev to participate in the annual climate summit.

Barzani attends the event alongside more than 200 other leaders from around the world, including Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid.

The UN has listed Iraq as one of the most susceptible countries to the effects of climate change. Volker Turk, the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, said last year that Iraq was facing “a human rights emergency” because of the effects of climate change, describing what he witnessed during a visit to Basra as “a small piece of the environmental horror.”

Rashid, a former water resources minister, has repeatedly highlighted combating climate change and water scarcity as one of the main priorities on his agenda as president of Iraq.

“Iraq is suffering from record heat waves, dust storms, and declining rainfall, which has led to the decline of water bodies and green spaces, and increased drought and desertification,” said Rashid on Tuesday.

On the sidelines of the summit, Barzani also met with Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and UN Secreatary General Antonio Guterres.