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Press Release
14 March 2023
United Nations and Government of Azerbaijan discuss implementation of cooperation framework
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Press Release
13 March 2023
Advancing the green path in Azerbaijan – awareness workshop on the Product Environmental Footprint methodology and its benefits for manufacturing enterprises
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Press Release
28 February 2023
UN General Assembly President to address Post-COVID Non-Aligned Movement Summit
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Latest
The Sustainable Development Goals in Azerbaijan
Over the last five years, Azerbaijan has demonstrated its firm commitment towards achieving the 2030 Agenda. The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan issued the Decree in 2016, to establish the National Coordination Council for Sustainable Development - a key partner for the United Nations to channel its support to the Government of Azerbaijan since then.
Azerbaijan has been one of the first countries to undertake a MAPS mission (Mainstreaming, Acceleration and Policy Support for the 2030 Agenda) which outlined concrete policy and programming steps that could be taken to accelerate the goals nationally, the experience which was presented at the 2018 Baku Forum on Sustainable Development. This regional event also marked the adoption of the Baku Principles which established provisions on the integration of SDGs and acceleration of their implementation.
With UN support, the National Information Portal on SDGs was launched, which introduces an interactive dashboard, collects consolidated data, tracks and monitors progress towards the SDGs in real-time. UN provides continuous support to strengthen national statistical capacities to produce quality data while focusing on disaggregation to Leave No One Behind.
United Nations also makes special efforts to engage different groups including the private sector, media, parliamentarians, and the public, among others, in promoting the Goals.
Press Release
01 September 2021
School Reopening: WHO and UNICEF call for schools to remain open with safer measures
As children prepare to return to school with the start of the new academic year, the adoption of measures to minimize transmission becomes more vital than ever.
As WHO and UNICEF state, these measures include ensuring vaccination is accessible to teachers and other school staff, improvements to the school environments to meet safety standards such as better classroom ventilation, smaller class size, physical distancing, regular testing of staff and constant sharing of information for parents on safety precautions.
Vaccination is one of the best and fastest ways of protection against the virus, including the Delta variant. Vaccination of teachers and other school staff is the advantage we have this year that will make the school safer.
“We live with COVID-19 pandemic almost two years and safely reopening schools has become an urgent priority. The long-term costs of closures are too high and hard to justify. We all need to work toward reopening schools safely to protect our children’s future. WHO urges countries, including Azerbaijan to keep school open while putting in place measures to minimize the risk of COVID-19 and the spread of different variants. We are supporting our national partners in the implementation of national vaccination strategy which plays a vital role in the school re-opening,” – Dr. Hande Harmanci, WHO Representative to Azerbaijan stated.
“The pandemic has not only showed the devastating consequences school closures have on children but also proved the important role schools play in children`s education, mental health and social skills. Children and youth cannot risk having another year of disrupted learning. UNICEF is working closely with Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan to ensure schools are opened safely on September 15 and children do not miss the opportunities school offers to them” Alex Heikens, UNICEF Representative in Azerbaijan, said.
UNICEF Azerbaijan currently partners the Ministry of Education to provide targeted learning recovery support to children in ten selected districts of Azerbaijan. Programme aims to provide additional teaching support for children and mentorship support to teachers to catch up with the new academic year. Mental health and psychosocial support to children and teachers will be one of the continuous priorities for both UNICEF and WHO.
UNICEF and WHO in Azerbaijan will jointly support the Ministry of Education, national health agencies for a joint #Back2School campaign with all necessary information suggested to parents, teachers and students for a safe back to schools of all Azerbaijani children.
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Press Release
18 June 2021
UNHCR commends Azerbaijan’s continued support to refugees and Asylum Seekers on the World Refugee Day
While many refugee emergencies are unfortunately becoming protracted, such as that of the Rohingya from Myanmar, new emergencies continue occurring, such as one in Tigray region of Ethiopia, which has displaced hundreds of thousands within Ethiopia and across the border in Sudan.
The global fight against the COVID19 pandemic and its consequences, has shown that we can only succeed if we stand together and this year’s World Refugee Day campaign calls for greater inclusion of refugees in host societies, with particular reference to health, education systems and sports with the key messages of “heal”, “learn” and “shine”.
Azerbaijan hosts 1,616 refugees in total originating mainly from Afghanistan and other countries in central Asia, the Middle East and eastern Europe. On the World Refugee Day, UNHCR Azerbaijan commends the authorities and people of Azerbaijan for granting access to healthcare and employment rights to refugees and asylum seekers living in the country. As we continue working and collaborating to achieve integration and inclusion of refugees, we also sincerely express our gratitude to the Government of Azerbaijan for the successful legal amendment on employment of refugees and access to healthcare insurance.
With growing forced displacement world-wide, it is important more than ever that refugees and asylum seekers receive our solidarity, compassion and support. They want nothing more than protection and the opportunity to make a decent living away from home to support themselves, their families and be part of their host communities. In that regard, UNHCR continues advocating for securing legal status for refugees and asylum seekers living in Azerbaijan, as well as ensuring durable solutions prospects in the form of voluntary return in safety and dignity for Internally Displaced Persons.
“Some of the refugees were born or arrived as small children in Azerbaijan and have a lot of potential to contribute to the development of Azerbaijani society if they are given the opportunity to integrate and therefore to secure a durable solution,” said Guido Ambroso, UNHCR Representative to Azerbaijan. “While progress has been made, more needs to be done to ensure legal status. I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the people of Azerbaijan as, after nearly three decades, hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons finally have the possibility to achieve a durable solution by returning to their lands.
World Refugee Day is the day to celebrate refugees’ contributions to communities, their unique experience, resilience and bravery in overcoming the toughest hardships the wars and conflicts can bring.
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Press Release
18 March 2021
ANAMA and UNDP join forces to support mine action in Azerbaijan
With USD 1 million from UNDP crisis response and UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund, UNDP will provide support to ANAMA to train, equip and deploy emergency response teams to clear mines and unexploded ordnances which pose grave risks to local communities living in the conflict affected areas.
Mr. Suleymanov expressed his hope for future cooperation, emphasising the importance of this project.
Mr. Fracassetti stated that UNDP will scale up its support for mine action in Azerbaijan by supporting ANAMA with technical expertise, equipment, capacity development and funding which will help communities safely access water, build homes, schools and health clinics.
UNDP continues to support ANAMA in conducting a mine action needs assessment, provides international expertise and supports ANAMA in procuring personal protective equipment and mine clearing equipment.
Additional support will consist of prioritising mine clearance areas, developing heat maps for mine detection and procuring mine action equipment and mine detecting dogs.
ANAMA was established with UNDP’s support in 1999. Over the past 20 years, ANAMA and UNDP have helped clear over 806,000 mines and other explosive weapons in Azerbaijan, helping to ensure a safe return home for over 160,500 displaced people.
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Story
02 February 2021
UN releases USD 2 million to support emergency humanitarian response in conflict-affected areas of Azerbaijan
The United Nations has released USD 2 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support the UN’s ongoing humanitarian response to temporarily displaced people in the conflict-affected areas of Azerbaijan.
Following the 9 November 2020 trilateral statement, UN resident agencies in Azerbaijan have been providing initial support in the areas of food, shelter, hygiene, preparation for winter, mine risk awareness, access to healthcare, psychosocial support, and education,
“The CERF funding will scale up UN agencies’ ongoing activities to help the conflict-affected people return to normal life ,” said Ghulam Isaczai, UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan. “We will continue working closely with the Government of Azerbaijan, civil society, and other stakeholders to meet the urgent needs of the highly vulnerable population, especially women and children.”
The CERF allocation builds on the results of a rapid inter-agency assessment that the UN Country Team conducted in the conflict-affected areas with the support of the Government of Azerbaijan. The funding will help to provide shelter and non-food items to the affected population; assist in the coordination of demining activities; and deliver essential medicines and medical equipment, as well as mental health and psychosocial services.
The UN Country Team in Azerbaijan in partnership with government agencies carried out several preliminary needs assessment missions in conflict-affected areas and has been providing its assistance in the following areas:
Health: WHO and UNFPA have delivered personal protective equipment and emergency kits to families in conflict-affected areas, as well as supported the continuation of primary healthcare services despite the COVID-19 and conflict-induced strains on 60 medical facilities.
Shelter and core relief items: UNHCR mobilized USD 1.5 million to secure non-food items, including tents, blankets and mattresses, and is currently mobilizing USD400 thousand to provide as cash-based interventions.
Psychosocial support: Most of the 40,000 temporarily displaced people have suffered immense stress and anxiety, especially children. Given the severe shortage of medical staff and absence of psychology professionals in the conflict-hit areas, both WHO and UNICEF are training psychology counsellors to support mental health services at hospitals and schools.
Mine risk action: A joint UNDP-UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) assessment mission was undertaken recently in close coordination with ANAMA, the national mine action agency, to assess mines and unexploded ordinance contaminations in several of the conflict-affected districts. UNDP, UNMAS, and UNICEF are currently working with the government to improve awareness of mine risk; support the Government’s demining strategy; and strengthen ANAMA’s capacity.
CERF – managed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator on behalf of the UN Secretary-General - is one of the fastest and most effective ways to help people affected by crises. Since its creation, it has assisted hundreds of millions of people with more than $6.5 billion across 104 countries and territories. This would have not been possible without generous and consistent donor support.
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Story
19 November 2020
UN agencies conclude needs assessment mission to conflict-affected regions of Azerbaijan
An inter-agency coordinated assessment mission comprised of technical experts from various UN agencies has concluded its four-day visit to the conflict-affected regions of Azerbaijan. The mission included representatives from the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO), FAO, IOM, OCHA, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNHCR, and WHO.
The mission met with the heads of the local executive authorities in Barda, Aghdam, and Agjabedi districts and visited various sites, where the temporarily displaced persons, as well as conflict-affected communities, reside. The mission members also visited a number of villages and settlements adjacent to the conflict area to assess the scale of damaged civilian houses and civilian infrastructure. The findings of the mission are being prepared that should allow to understand prevailing vulnerabilities and design appropriate humanitarian response mechanisms in different sectors to complement the government’s actions.
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Story
24 February 2023
How WHO is supporting Azerbaijan in improving rehabilitation and assistive technology services
Rehabilitation allows women, men and children of all ages to be as independent as possible in everyday activities, enabling participation in education, work, recreation, and meaningful life roles, such as taking care of family. Similarly, access to vital assistive technology (AT) can help people see and hear better, help people with intellectual and cognitive disabilities interact more effectively with others, and support people with psychosocial disabilities to manage and work through difficult times.
In Azerbaijan, the government has committed to strengthening and scaling up rehabilitation and AT services and is developing a comprehensive roadmap to do so. WHO/Europe is actively supporting these efforts by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population.
Supporting rehabilitation and AT efforts
In the last 2 years, with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Government of Norway, WHO has promoted several rehabilitation and AT activities in Azerbaijan, including a rapid-AT Assessment (r-ATA) household survey that collected information from 5597 respondents across 1156 households in 8 economic zones in Azerbaijan. The results of the r-ATA survey were extremely useful in providing key information about the demand for AT in the country.
On a global scale, WHO is implementing ambitious initiatives to strengthen rehabilitation in health systems and scale up access to AT products and services. The initiatives aim to improve people’s functioning, which in turn leads to greater participation and improved quality of life, especially for persons with disabilities or noncommunicable diseases, as well as healthy ageing.
Assessing rehabilitation and AT services in Azerbaijan
A team of WHO experts recently assessed the current state of rehabilitation and AT services in Azerbaijan using 2 WHO standardized tools: the Systematic Assessment of the Rehabilitation Situation (STARS) and the Assistive Technology Capacity Assessment (ATA-C). The team also provided technical assistance in integrating rehabilitation and AT into a national action plan.
Results from the assessment were shared with different government authorities, people who need access to vital rehabilitation and AT services, and groups of service providers. Their feedback has been collected and will feed into a list of recommendations that will help further develop the Government of Azerbaijan’s rehabilitation and AT strategy and, ultimately, the national roadmap for health.
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Story
23 February 2023
Fathers break stereotypes in Azerbaijan to ensure their children grow up in gender equitable environment
Creating a safe space for fathers to jointly reflect on and question the factors that frame gender inequalities affecting power dynamics within Azerbaijani families was the most important achievement of the Papa Schools project implemented in Azerbaijan. “At first, I believed I would be the only father to join, and was apprehensive that the project would simply fail”, says Orkhan Nadirov from Baku, a father of a 2 year-old boy, “as the topic is not a popular one among men in Azerbaijan, given predominant traditional notions of masculinity in our society”.
Orkhan and his wife were looking forward to the arrival of their first child. However, the end of the first trimester of pregnancy was marked with devastating news that a child was having an inherited blood disorder - thalassemia and the family was recommended to terminate pregnancy. “It was a major dilemma for us; however, me and my wife decided together that we would choose a different path”. Needless to note that Orkhan and his wife were very well aware of the implications of this decision for them. “We started exploring academic literature and searching for resources that could provide any guidance for maintaining effective relationships in families that have kids with similar disorders. All of a sudden, my wife came across information on Papa Schools, and I made up my mind to join. Though my expectations were not as high since I was skeptical that other fathers would interrupt the learning process, I decided to give it a try and see if this could have given me more leverage to explore the concept of a responsible fatherhood”.
Following several months of engagement with a Papa School, Orkhan believes that he managed to gain more than he had previously expected: “What’s unique about this methodology is that despite the focus on father engagement, the information shared was actually concerning both parents, and I was sharing the summary of each session with my wife back home. And so I had a chance to further explore many of these topics through insights provided by my wife and through our shared reflections on many of those topics.”
Orkhan is not the only beneficiary of the project. Papa Schools brought together fathers in three different regions of Azerbaijan - Baku, Ganja and Gazakh in the framework of the “EU 4 Gender Equality“ programme jointly implemented by UNFPA and UN Women with financial support of the European Union. A total of 126 men with almost equal shares of both fathers and fathers-to-be joined and actively participated at the sessions.
One of the important aspects of the Papa School project Orkhan liked the most is the opportunity for the like-minded fathers to remain actively engaged in promoting the concept of responsible fatherhood beyond the project lifetime. Sahil Aliyev, a 28 year-old father-to-be is one of those men Orkhan met at the Papa School. Sahil joined the course with deeply entrenched stereotypes about gender equality in mind, but managed to explore different concepts of what gender equitable relations were about.
Sahil believes that everyone in a society with prevailing patriarchal norms is born into a culture that shapes people’s behaviors and attitudes by forcing them to pick up dominant discriminatory social norms: “At family, at school, at work, we are being taught that men should be masculine. I remember my mother saying that men should have the final word on everything in the family, even if he is not right”.
During the eight-week Papa School courses, the trained experts and facilitators delivered a range of sessions on gender-based discrimination and violence related issues in Azerbaijan. Alongside this, the participants were also given a chance to explore the concepts of family planning and reproductive health, intimate partnerships, abortions, femicides, lack of women’s participation and benefits of women’s empowerment. Sahil was one of those men who were actively participating at every session, and he believes that he gained more insights into the topic he had never discussed before.
“I found myself talking about gender, sex and family relationships - topics that I have never openly discussed with strangers. To be honest, now I admit that I was violent towards my ex-girlfriend by limiting her access to some possible opportunities or imposing restrictions on the way she was dressing-up. But I really wasn’t cognizant about this until participating in the Papa School sessions on gender-based violence. I cannot say that I have managed to get rid of all these stereotypes over the course of these past eight weeks, but I can state confidently that I feel sorry for the way I behaved before. And what I'm sure of now is that having been able to reflect on many of these issues, I’ll do my best to treat my current partner with empathy and full respect.”
It is worth mentioning that another distinctive attribute of the project is its focus on the diversity of experiences and expertise of those involved to lead the effort. "I liked the multidimensional approach of the project. In the course of these past eight weeks, we had a chance to closely interact with not only gender experts, but also doctors, pediatricians and psychologists who were sharing their perspectives with us", says Fuad Valiyev from Ganja, the 32-year-old father of two, who was symbolically granted the “Father of the Year” award at the project’s closing ceremony. Fuad believes in the value of shared workload within the household for promoting gender equality in the family. He says, "I think what makes me a responsible father and a supportive husband is that I try to equally share household and childcare responsibilities with my wife."
Papa Schools have been launched only recently in the three regions of Azerbaijan and it will definitely take time to see the immediate effects of this intervention. However, this model has really managed to showcase a forward looking strategy of how men like Orkhan, Sahil and others in traditional patriarchal societies could join as allies in the efforts to transform unequal social norms by promoting gender equitable behaviors and attitudes and ensuring inclusive and healthy family relationships through men’s active and responsible engagement.
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23 February 2023
A mentor for women farmers in Azerbaijan
Olga Babayeva, a 52-year-old farmer from Samukh region in northwestern Azerbaijan, is a well-recognized businesswoman in her community. Apart from being the biggest producer of vegetable seeds for onions, coriander, dill, radishes and parsley, among others, she is also known for her strong support of women’s engagement in farming.
She was attracted to farm life as a young child, spending her summer holidays helping her parents plant vegetables. In the 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, a nineteen-year-old Olga became the first young female farmer in Fuzuli village when she started renting a 10-hectare plot to grow beetroot.
“But it was not that easy,” says Olga with a smile, who now cultivates a total of 14 hectares.
For more than 30 years she has been active in agriculture beyond just growing crops. She also manages the vegetable seed cooperative Barakat (meaning “blessing” in Azeri) with 1 400 members and established the Samukh Seed and Vegetable Corporation that ensures laboratory testing for seed sorting and drying. Today, the corporation sells seeds in both national and foreign markets.
“In the beginning, I faced situations where tractor drivers (who were usually men) would refuse to cultivate my land just because I was a woman, or officials in the local government body neglected my requests as they did not accept the fact that a woman can be engaged in farming professionally,” reminisces Olga. “‘Your place is in the kitchen, not on the land’ this is what women hear very often.”
Empowering rural women through agriculture has great potential in the country. According to the State Statistics Committee of Azerbaijan, 77 percent of women reside in rural areas, and the percentage of female entrepreneurs engaged in agriculture, forestry and fishing is higher than men (32 versus 24 percent).
However, women face a number of challenges, such as a gender pay gap, informality of jobs and a triple work burden (housework, production for the household and wage work). In total, women do an average of six hours of unpaid work, while men spend only two hours on the same. Additionally, poor access to social services hinders many women from leveraging their full potential.
“As I was divorced with a little son and daughter on my hands, I had no other option than to earn a living to survive. I had to work much harder than any other fellow male farmer as I bore triple responsibilities: working on the farm and at home, as well as engaging in village initiatives,” notes Olga.
“Today, my children are adults, but the perceptions and challenges are still there.”
As a result of her experiences, she knows very well the difficulties women face in agriculture as she had to go through many of them. This is why FAO believed her the perfect person to mentor other women farmers. To this end, Olga received several FAO trainings on farming and business management and participated in a training for trainers’ workshop.
Since 2020, FAO, in cooperation with the Government of Azerbaijan, has been providing support to rural women to improve their knowledge and farming practices through innovative technologies in cultivating fruit trees and vegetables, cattle breeding and poultry raising, among other areas.
“Women are engaged in agricultural production; however, they tend to have less training in sales and marketing and have little information about micro-credits and non-financial services,” points out Flora Poladova, leading FAO project expert in Azerbaijan. “With the improved farming techniques, they will be able to do commercial farming. Increasing their income through essential business, marketing and leadership skills will, in fact, raise women's self-confidence and make their voices heard.”
“FAO plays an intermediary role between female farmers and state and private service providers. We are working now to bridge this, so that will help women to learn about free advisory services, soft loans and other services,” adds Poladova.
To keep up the momentum, the FAO project mobilizes rural women’s groups and has already succeeded in connecting over 100 female farmers from 20 regions in Azerbaijan. As part of this network, Olga communicates with other members and shares farming knowledge via a mobile messaging app.
“I am so happy to be part of the big changes ahead!” beams Olga. “I am grateful women are not alone, and support is there. Women and girls deserve fair opportunities and treatment and, once financially stable, they will have a stronger voice to be equally recognized.”
Through this project, FAO is working with the Government of Azerbaijan to better respond to current and future challenges in the agriculture sector, engaging women as key to making the sector more productive and inclusive.
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01 March 2022
UN-Azerbaijan: Celebrating 30 years of partnership
Today, on 2 March, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Azerbaijan’s membership of the United Nations (UN). On this day in 1992, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 46/230 at the 82nd plenary meeting of its 46th session in New York, during which Azerbaijan and eight other former Soviet republics became new members of the UN. In fact, the year 1992 saw the biggest single increase in UN membership since the wave of decolonization of 1960.
Azerbaijan, as newly independent state, faced extreme difficulties brought by the conflict in the early 1990s. Thus, in the first years of the UN-Azerbaijan partnership, UN assistance was primarily focused on the immediate needs of refugees and internally displaced persons. UN Agencies provided food, health services, shelter and other non-food items to more than 600,000 IDPs and 200,000 refugees. The combined efforts of the Government, local communities and the international partners were crucial in preventing the most tragic consequences of large-scale displacement, such as mass starvation, and epidemics.
Later, the UN continued its support to Azerbaijan with post-conflict rehabilitation and longer-term development needs. In a relatively short timeframe, Azerbaijan has transformed itself from a transition economy into an upper middle-income country with a high human development index. Between 1995 and 2019, the country’s Human Development Index value increased from 0.604 to 0.756, an increase of 25.2%. During this period, poverty rate in Azerbaijan decreased from 49.0% to 5% and the country’s Gross National Income per capita increased by about 79.4%.
Over the last 30 years, Azerbaijan has made remarkable progress in terms of economic growth and human development, and the UN-Azerbaijan relations have transitioned from assistance-based to partnership-based cooperation.
Since joining the UN, Azerbaijan has contributed to our collective commitment to sustainable development and continues to engage in a comprehensive and wide-reaching agenda under the principles and objectives set forth in the UN Charter. This was recognised at the global level when Azerbaijan was elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for a two-year term (2012-2013) by 155 member states.
After the outbreak of COVID-19, Azerbaijan has again demonstrated its commitment to multilateralism and shared responsibility contributing to the regional and global efforts to combat the pandemic. As the Chair of the Non-Aligned Movement, Azerbaijan initiated a Special Session of the UN General Assembly in response to COVID 19 and financially supported the global COVID-19 efforts.
Furthermore, with a rich tradition of multiculturalism and religious tolerance, Azerbaijan has assumed a role of encouraging intercultural dialogue and improved understanding between different nations and peoples through the hosting of a number of high-level events in recent years.
I am confident that with the launch of Azerbaijan 2030: National Priorities for socio-economic development Strategy, Azerbaijan will renew its aspirations to turn the country into an advanced economy with a high welfare society.
United Nations will continue supporting Azerbaijan’s efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as build forward better and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent conflict.
In 2021, the UN Country Team and the Azerbaijani government signed the UN-Azerbaijan Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for 2021-2025. This framework identified four main priorities for our partnership: promotion of inclusive growth that reduces vulnerability and builds resilience; stronger institutions for better public and social services; protection of the environment and addressing climate change; and empowerment of women and girls in every life sphere.
These are very ambitious targets, and to reach them we need accelerated actions and mobilization of all levels of society. As Resident Coordinator, I will continue to lead the UN Family and work closely with the Government and people of Azerbaijan on the design and implementation of a combination of integrated solutions that will translate these targets into measurable progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
We will continue to pursue a strategy that invests in people, in peace, in durable solutions, and in institutions that are responsive to the needs of the most vulnerable, which will help Azerbaijan build forward stronger, more equitable and more prosperous society.
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09 May 2022
UN, Azerbaijan launch photo exhibition dedicated to 30th anniversary of partnership
The exhibition organised at the Seaside Boulevard features 100 photos illustrating the history of the UN-Azerbaijan partnership, as well as UN activities in the country.
Azerbaijan became a member of the United Nations on 2 March 1992 following the UN General Assembly’s resolution 46/230. Two months later, on 6 May, Azerbaijan opened its Permanent Mission to the UN in New York. The United Nations’ first office in Azerbaijan opened in November 1992.
Today’s event has kicked off a year-long campaign dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the UN-Azerbaijan partnership. Throughout the year, a series of events will be organised in partnership with the Government, civil society, academia and others. Among others, we will organise several events on the Sustainable Development Goals and Azerbaijan’s efforts to achieve them, Model UN conference, tree-planting campaigns and various contests for university and high-school students.
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Press Release
14 March 2023
United Nations and Government of Azerbaijan discuss implementation of cooperation framework
The United Nations Country Team (UNCT) and the Government of Azerbaijan have held the third meeting of the Joint Steering Committee of the UN-Azerbaijan Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF).
UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan Vladanka Andreeva and Deputy Minister of Economy Sahib Mammadov, have co-chaired the meeting, which brought together some 25 high-level officials from the Government and UNCT. The Steering Committee has reviewed the results of 2022, endorsed the joint work plans for 2023, and discussed challenges and opportunities to ensure the timely implementation of the framework.
In 2022, the activities focused on building resilience and restoring livelihoods for sustainable and green recoveries from both the pandemic and the conflict. Building human capital and transforming the lives of the most vulnerable and marginalised groups, including women, children, youth, persons with disabilities and the elderly were among key projects. The year also witnessed investments to support strengthened social service systems, sustainable land and water management, climate change adaptation, gender equality, SDG data collection and analysis, as well as developing and implementing evidence-based strategies and policies.
The UNSDCF is the fifth UN-Azerbaijan cooperation framework for a period from 2021 to 2025. It identifies four priority areas for partnership: inclusive growth that reduces vulnerability and builds resilience; stronger institutions for better public and social services delivery; protecting the environment and addressing climate change; and achieving a gender-equitable society that empowers women and girls.
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Press Release
13 March 2023
Advancing the green path in Azerbaijan – awareness workshop on the Product Environmental Footprint methodology and its benefits for manufacturing enterprises
On 15 March 2023, EU4Environment invites representatives from industrial enterprises, local authorities and agencies, business associations, and NGOs in Azerbaijan to an awareness-raising workshop on the introduction of the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) and the European Union Single Market for Green Product (SMGP) initiative.
The event is open to all stakeholders interested in and working on issues related to green economy, circular economy, Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production (RECP), and environmental protection. The meeting is organized by UNIDO in collaboration with PRé Sustainability (the Netherlands) and national partners.
To join the event, please register here: https://bit.ly/3IVE0BV
The workshop will be organized in an online format and will present the PEF methodology and the benefits of introducing greener products in the country. It will feature presentations and discussions with experts in the field and provide attendees with a comprehensive understanding of the concept of green or environmentally-friendly products. It will be hosted in both Azerbaijani and English (with simultaneous interpretation).
The workshop covers topics related to instruments and strategies to promote green products, including eco-labelling (specifying the current national situation), associated legislative background, and benefits for different target groups. The potential impact of applying the PEF methodology for Azerbaijani enterprises exporting to the EU market will also be explored. The workshop will provide an opportunity for attendees to ask questions and engage in topical discussions.
EU4Environment and the introduction of the EU SMGP initiative
Within EU4Environment Action, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is introducing the EU SMGP and PEF methodology in the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries, including Azerbaijan. Here, UNIDO is supported by REC Caucasus, office Azerbaijan.
About EU4Environment Action
“European Union for Environment” (EU4Environment) Action helps the EU’s Eastern Partnership countries preserve their natural capital and increase people’s environmental well-being by supporting environment-related action, demonstrating and unlocking opportunities for greener growth, and setting mechanisms to better manage environmental risks and impacts.
The Action is implemented by five partner organisations: OECD, UNECE, UNEP, UNIDO and the World Bank.
For further information about the Action, please visit: www.eu4environment.org and www.recp.aceconsultants.az/en
Learn more about the EU SMGP and PEF from our leaflet:
Advancing Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) (available in Azerbaijani and English)
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Press Release
28 February 2023
UN General Assembly President to address Post-COVID Non-Aligned Movement Summit
28 February 2023 – The President of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Csaba Kőrösi, will make an official visit to Baku, Azerbaijan, on 2 March to address a Summit-Level Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) on Post-COVID-19 Recovery.
The President is expected to highlight the urgent need for a “new normal” as the world emerges from the COVID pandemic – one based on science, innovation, technology and digitalization.
President Kőrösi will make the visit at the invitation of Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
In addition, the President is expected to meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jeyhun Aziz oglu Bayramov.
The President and his team will depart on 3 March 2023.
The President will be accompanied by a delegation of four staff members including Deputy Chef de Cabinet Marani and Deputy Chef de Cabinet for Economy and Energy Mammadova.
Costs are covered by the OPGA Trust Fund.
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Press Release
01 March 2023
IOM Azerbaijan and UNDP organize three-month training for victims of trafficking and gender based violence
On 28, February 2023, IOM Azerbaijan, in collaboration with UNDP, launched a three-month soft skills training within the Countering Trafficking in Persons Activity. During these three months, 30 beneficiaries, including both victims of trafficking and gender-based violence, will participate in training in accounting, computer skills, and leadership courses. The trainings will be conducted at the Women Resource Center in Sumgayit, which was established under the USAID-funded UNDP project. This is a good example of synergy and illustration of how two USAID-funded projects and two UN organizations may effectively deploy their resources to achieve a common goal and assist those in need.
USAID’s Countering Trafficking in Persons Activity, implemented by IOM since 2015, assists the Government of Azerbaijan and NGOs to further improve Azerbaijan's effectiveness in preventing and combating trafficking in persons and forced labor as well as addressing gender-based violence. This includes technical and financial support to civil society organizations and shelters that assist potential and actual victims of trafficking and forced labor.
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Press Release
17 February 2023
WHO and UNICEF support digitalization of healthcare in Azerbaijan
In the framework of the European Union (EU)-funded COVID-19 Vaccination Support project, experts from WHO Regional Office for Europe are visiting Azerbaijan for a five-day mission to evaluate the country's Immunization Information System (IIS).
WHO experts carry out an assessment of the management of IIS, recording and reporting, digital tools, medical staff capacity, service delivery procedures, vaccine logistics management, and monitoring methodologies. The team held meetings with national healthcare authorities and international counterparts and visited the Republican Hygiene and Epidemiology Center. Tomorrow they will also visit the Hygiene and Epidemiology Center and healthcare facilities in the Guba Region to better understand the existing system.
During their visit, WHO experts met with Mr Rufat Hajialibayov, the Advisor to the Minister of Health for the digitalization of health system, and other officials from the Ministry of Health, the State Agency on Mandatory Health Insurance (SAMHI), and TABIB, where they discussed the importance of IIS for strengthening the healthcare system, vaccination coverage, and eHealth strategy. The officials also noted that the digitalization of healthcare is one of the main priorities of the Government of Azerbaijan.
The EU-funded COVID-19 Vaccination Support project, implemented by World Health Organization since June 2021, covers a three-year fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and strengthens daily immunization programs in six Eastern Partnership countries, including Azerbaijan. The project is part of the continued support of the European Union and WHO to Azerbaijan.
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