Umayra Taghiyeva

Umayra Taghiyeva serves as the Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan, a position she has held since 2023. She holds a degree from the Azerbaijan State Pedagogical Institute and a Doctor of Philosophy in Geography. Ms Taghiyeva began her professional career in the early 1990s at the State Hydrometeorology Committee as a forecaster and engineer. Over the following decades, she held a series of leadership roles within Azerbaijan’s hydrometeorological institutions, including Director of the National Hydrometeorology Department. From 2020 to 2023, she served as Head of the National Hydrometeorological Service, leading modernisation efforts to enhance forecasting accuracy and data-driven environmental management.

In her current capacity as Deputy Minister, Ms Taghiyeva brings together her technical expertise and policy experience to advance national efforts in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and multi-hazard early warning systems (EWS).  As Azerbaijan’s Permanent Representative to WMO, Ms Taghiyeva actively contributes to regional and global cooperation on climate services, hydrology, and resilience building, promoting science-based approaches to reduce vulnerability to climate-related hazards.