The Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United Nations Development Programme announce a research paper competition on the topic of "Climate Change and Human Rights"

Considering that 2024 was declared the “Year of Solidarity for Green World” in Azerbaijan and our country will host the 29th session of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC)-COP29, the Ombudsman of Azerbaijan organizes public awareness-raising events in relation to the impacts of climate change on human rights.  

Climate change, as one of the global issues currently discussed, creates numerous challenges for the protection and promotion of human rights, along with its impacts on other areas. States, international institutions, civil society organizations, and academia hold discussions on the relevant issue to address it. 

For youngsters to contribute to this topic by conducting research and improving their teamwork skills, the Ombudsman and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) jointly announce a research paper competition on the topic of “Climate Change and Human Rights” during the “Human Rights Month-Long Campaign.” The competition will be held under the theme “Youth Vision for Climate Change.”  

The 45-minute information sessions about the competition will be held at Baku State University, State Academy of Public Administration, Academy of the State Customs Committee, ADA University, and National Aviation Academy.  

The papers will be evaluated by judges, consisting of three independent experts – scholars who do not represent the parties conducting the competition.

Requirements for the participants:

• The papers should be prepared and submitted by a group of 5 people.
• Members of the group should be enrolled in undergraduate (having completed at least the second year) or graduate studies in humanities, social sciences, law, international relations, sociology, political studies, state or public relations, and other disciplines in the humanities.
• Teams should use the following link Link: to complete the application form by June 20, 2024, in order to register for the competition.

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Requirements for the research essay:

• The paper should be submitted as a group project. The group members divide up the functions, and one person is selected as the group spokesperson.
• The paper should be written in Azerbaijani, have original content. The plagiarism should not be tolerated.
• The paper should comprise min. 14000 and max. 15000 words of text with single- spaced (line interval: 1) in Times New Roman font. 
• The paper should consist of five sections, each written by a different group member.
• The group members should prepare a 3-minute introductory video for the presentation of the research paper. 
• The paper and video should be sent to the email address essaycompetitionclimatechange@gmail.com by August 25, 2024.

Group members who meet the specified requirements will be notified via email on June 24.

The submitted research papers will be evaluated by the panel of judges.

The winning group, as the author of the research paper, will present their research at an international forum organized by the Ombudsman Office on the topic of "Climate Change and Human Rights" with the participation of ombudspersons of other countries, heads of national human rights institutions, and representatives of international organizations.

The winning group members will receive rewards and certificates, while other group members will receive certificates for their participation in the competition.

The UNDP will publish the winning paper in both English and Azerbaijani on their website.

For more information, you can reach the Ombudsman Office by phone at 012 493 58 10 or by email at office@ombudsman.az.