Mukhtar Babayev, who assumed his place as COP29 president this morning, is Azerbaijan’s minister of ecology and natural resources.
He takes over from UAE technology minister Dr Sultan al-Jaber, who presided over COP28 in Dubai last year.
Babayev spent 26 years at Azerbaijan’s state-owned oil and gas company Socar in a variety of roles, before taking up his political post in 2018.
Azerbaijan has been ruled by President Ilham Aliyev since 2003. He secured his latest term in 2024 in an election which Western observers said fell short of democratic standards.
Under Aliyev’s rule, Azerbaijan has sought to increase its international profile – including hosting the Eurovision Song Contest in 2012, the Baku European Games in 2015, and holding some football matches at the 2020 Euros tournament.
