The reintegration of thousands of specialists working in the oil and gas sector into the green energy sector necessitates the formation of serious legal regulatory mechanisms, Report informs, citing Hummat Aliyev, Head of the Legal Committee of the Board of Directors of the Guba Business Support Platform, speaking at an event titled "Just Transition Dialogue: Ensuring a Just Transition to a Green Economy in Azerbaijan".
In his view, if the necessary steps are not taken in this direction, a serious imbalance will occur in the labour market. "Because we know that for many years Azerbaijan's main budget revenues have been generated through the oil and gas sector, young people have tended to study and work in that sector to build their futures. Therefore, the retraining of specialists working in that field towards green energy will require significant legal support. Azerbaijan's Labour Code protects workers' rights. During structural changes and specialisation processes, the legislation recognises workers' right to redundancy or retraining. That is, it provides support both for professional development and for redirection to another field."
Aliyev noted that maintaining gender balance in newly created jobs in the green sector, and having special quotas and incentive programmes for women and youth, is one of the conditions for a just transition. "Large‑scale projects require large tracts of land. This raises issues such as changing land designations and rights to use state‑owned, municipal, or privately owned land. These must be fully aligned with Azerbaijan's land and property legislation. The interests of local citizens and communities should not be harmed. Changes in land use must be regulated by law."
The expert emphasised that legal assessments regarding environmental impact must be strictly carried out during infrastructure construction and logistics. "Compliance with the requirements of the Environmental Impact Assessment Law must be ensured. Investments aimed at the well‑being of local communities should be reflected in legal agreements, including public‑private partnership contracts."
https://report.az/en/energy/green-energy-transition-requires-effective-legal-regulation-expert-says