From May 13–17, 2026, the Kick-off Meeting of the international “SDG-ESS Caucasus” project, supported by DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), was held at the Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU) in Germany.
The project aims to expand international scientific cooperation in the South Caucasus region in the fields of regional transformation in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, climate change, environmental management, regional development, and geographical research. The program is focused on establishing a joint scientific platform among Germany, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, identifying collaborative research directions, and developing future cooperation mechanisms.
It should be noted that DAAD is considered one of the world’s most prestigious academic exchange and international scientific cooperation programs. The participation of the Institute of Geography of the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan as a partner institution in such an internationally competitive grant project, distinguished by its rigorous selection process, is an important indicator of the scientific potential of our country and the Institute’s international academic reputation.
Representing the Institute of Geography in the international program were Director of the Institute, Doctor of Geographical Sciences Zaur Imrani, Scientific Secretary and PhD in Geography Saida Zeynalova, Head of the Strategic Development, Monitoring and Evaluation Sector Sarkhan Jafarov, laboratory assistant of the Tourism and Recreation Geography Laboratory Shams Imrani, Chief Specialist of the Data and Analytics Office Nazim Garayli and specialist Farid Gadirli, doctoral students Gular Hidayatli and Yusif Hidayatli, as well as Dean of the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality of the Azerbaijan Tourism and Management University (ATMU), PhD in Tourism Bahadur Bilalov.
During the opening session of the event, Director of the Institute of Geography, Doctor of Geographical Sciences Zaur Imrani, delivered a speech on the significance of the international project, opportunities for regional scientific cooperation, and the importance of joint activities in the field of sustainable development.
Within the framework of the conference, the Institute’s representatives delivered scientific presentations on climate change, regional sustainable development, tourism geography, landscape planning, land management, regional environmental issues, and ecological risks. Saida Zeynalova presented on “Anthropogenic Transformation of Natural Landscapes and Assessment of Ecological Risks in the Sheki–Zagatala Region”; Sarkhan Jafarov on “Climate Change, Tourism, and Regional Sustainability in Northwestern Azerbaijan”; Farid Gadirli on “Assessment of Climate Change and Land Management Based on Ecological Indicators”; Shams Imrani on “Mechanisms of the Impact of Rural Tourism on Regional Sustainable Development in Azerbaijan”; Nazim Garayli on “Tourism and Landscape Planning of the Zagatala–Balakan Region”; Gular Hidayatli on “Natural Tourism Resources in Protected Areas of the Sheki–Zagatala Region”; Yusif Hidayatli on “Sustainable Development Goals and Regional Development: Challenges, Priorities, and Research Opportunities in Azerbaijan”; and Bahadur Bilalov on “Geography Education for Sustainable Development Transformation in Azerbaijan: Curriculum Environment, Innovation Needs, and Comparative Research Potential.”
As part of the program, participants also took part in field research activities organized at the Grube Fortuna mining complex in Germany, where practical discussions were held on landscape transformation, mining heritage, regional development, and sustainable tourism. In addition, thematic cooperation groups on sustainable development goals were established, joint scientific research directions were identified, and a future action plan was developed.
The participation of the Institute of Geography as a partner institution in such a prestigious international grant project is of great importance in terms of expanding the Institute’s international scientific relations, ensuring more active representation of Azerbaijani science on global academic platforms, and promoting internationally the scientific research conducted in the region in the field of sustainable development.
