COP29: Liverpool representative holds seminar on strategic sustainability

By Laman Ismayilova

A seminar on "Beyond the Pitch: Five Strategic Sustainability Lessons from Liverpool Football Club" has been held in Baku as part of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29).

At the event, Liverpool Football Club's Senior Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager Rishi Jain explained to participants how to become a leader in sport and sustainability through its revolutionary "The Red Way" strategy. He shared five key lessons from the club's sustainability journey with the participants.

These lessons include key strategies such as taking the initial steps, implementing change and monitoring progress, communicating, engaging colleagues and fans, building partnerships that create both impact and drive commercial growth, and demonstrating sustainable leadership.

It was highlighted how Liverpool, which is constantly sensitive to climate issues, is developing and is currently a sustainability leader in world football, promoting change off the pitch and implementing various projects not only in sports but also in the field of social responsibility.

Rishi Jain, who is considered a key figure in the development of sustainability, equality, diversity and inclusion of the world's most watched football team, spoke about the importance of these projects in terms of improving the well-being of both local and global communities.

As a result, participants gained practical information in the interactive workshop and received information on concrete steps they can implement in their own organizations.

The 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 29) is taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan on November 11-22.

The event has gathered world leaders and negotiators from the member states (or Parties) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to further global progress, with business leaders, young people, climate scientists, Indigenous Peoples, and civil society sharing insights and best practices to strengthen global, collective and inclusive climate action.

Among the key priorities of COP 29 are securing a new goal on climate finance, ensuring every country has the means to take much stronger climate action, slashing greenhouse gas emissions and building resilient communities.