Speech by UN Resident Coordinator, Vladanka Andreeva at the UN Day event

Your Excellency Mr. Elnur Mammadov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Honorable Ministers, Deputy Ministers and senior Government officials here present

Excellencies the Ambassadors and members of the Diplomatic Corps

Representatives of the civil society and other national and international partners

Members of the media

UN Heads of Agencies and members of the UN family

Ladies and gentlemen:

It is my great pleasure to celebrate this year’s United Nations Day with you, in person today  The UN Day marks the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter.  As the founding document of the UN, the values and principles of the UN Charter continue to guide our work 77 years on.

This UN Day is particularly special, as 2022 marks the 30th anniversary of Azerbaijan’s membership in the United Nations.  Over the course of three decades, the cooperation between UN and the Government and people of Azerbaijan has transitioned from assistance to partnership-based cooperation.  In this hall today, you will see selected 30 photos that tell a story of our partnership and cooperation over the past three decades.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Befitting for the 30th anniversary, 2022 has been a busy year.  

In support of the Government’s ambitious post-conflict recovery and reconstruction efforts, the UN in Azerbaijan – together with development partners - has been providing catalytic support, in the areas of: mine action, skills development and livelihood support to IDPs (including women), health, education and other social services, legal assistance, environmental recovery and energy efficiency.

A joint meeting between the Government and the UNon post-conflict and post-pandemic recovery was held in Shusha on 18 March, when we had a productive dialogue on the efforts by the UN and its partners to support humanitarian work, recovery, peacebuilding, and sustainable development in Azerbaijan.

The international conference on mine action, “Humanitarian Mine Action and SDGs,” co-organized by ANAMA and the UN, took place from 31 March to 1 April in Baku.  Over 130 participants – including experts from the demining sector - from 37 countriesexchanged experiences and proposed strategic recommendations in support of mine action in Azerbaijan.  

And most recently, the first Azerbaijan National Urban Forum, organized by the State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture (SCUPA) with support of the UN, was successfully held on 5 and 6 October in Aghdam and at ADA University.  During the multi-stakeholder conference, many experiences and good practices were shared, including on inclusive and people-centered urban planning that leaves no one behind.

Going forward, the UN - together with the European Union and the World Bank - is exploring options to further scale-up support to the Government-led and people-centered multi-sectoral recovery in conflict-affected areas.  We look forward to working closely with the Government in the coming months on the Joint Recovery Needs Assessment.

Furthermore, the partnership between Azerbaijan and the UN to advance the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals – SDGs - is articulated in the UN Azerbaijan Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2021-2025.  

Four strategic priority areas of the partnership are: 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 all spheres of life.

We are in the particularly proud of our concerted efforts to invest in advancing gender equality, as well as social and economic empowerment by putting people in the center.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

The UN system is often referred to as the UN Family.  And the UN in Azerbaijan is truly that – a family.  

Like many families of the 21st century, we are diverse and geographically spread across the globe.  In Azerbaijan, we have 12 members of the family physically in Baku, and they are: 

FAO, ILO, IOM, OHCHR, UNDP, UNDSS, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNIC, UNICEF, UNOPS and WHO. 

And we have additional 9 members who are physically based elsewhere but with programmes in Azerbaijan, and these are: 

UNDRR, UNECE, UNEP, UNESCO, UN Habitat, UNIDO, UNODC, UNV and UN Women.

I would like to recognize the heart and soul of the UN Family – the 261 UN staff.  Some of them are here in this room today.  Some of them have been serving the UN since the very beginning of the UN’s establishmentin Azerbaijan.

What unites the UN Family in Azerbaijan together, regardless of who or where we are, is the values and principles of the UN Charter and – to put it in the simplest words – our passion, expertise, and commitment to do our best for the people of Azerbaijan.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

The 2030 Agenda, the SDGs and our collective promise to leave no one behind can only be realized through strong partnerships: partnerships between the Government, the civil society, the development partners, the private sector, the academia, the media, and others.  

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the partners and friends of the UN in Azerbaijan - many of you are here today - with whom we work closely to make a difference in the lives of women and girls, persons with disabilities, IDPs, migrants, refugees,minorities, and other vulnerable groups.

Finally, in looking forward to the future of UN-Azerbaijan partnership, I would like to conclude my remarks with the words of the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres:

”As we mark UN Day, let us renew our hope and conviction in what humanity can achieve, when we work as one, in global solidarity.“

I thank you.