Azerbaijan, UN define priorities within economic cooperation

By Azernews

By Amina Nazarli

The key strategic priority within the economic cooperation between the UN and Azerbaijan for 2016-2020 is to achieve sustainable and inclusive economic development, supported by the growing diversification and the number of working places.

UN Resident Coordinator in the country, Ghulam Isaczai announced about this at the first meeting of the Steering Committee on realization of the UN-Azerbaijan Partnership Framework (UNAPF) 2016-2020 in Baku on January 19.

Isaczai said that the sides have already defined main goals that should be reached until 2020 within the cooperation program.

"The main goals until 2020 are:  a more diversified economy and sustainable growth, ensuring of decent work for youth, women, disabled and other vulnerable groups. The results of the work done will be seen on the three indicators. This is an average GDP annual growth in the non-oil sector by seven percent or more, improvement of the global competitiveness index up to 4.7 points, reduction of unemployment among women and young people (15-29 years old) to 5.7 and 9.5 percent respectively," he said.

He further mentioned that the volume of program funding will be approved in the near future.  “Each year, a final summary report on the work done within the project will be prepared. The program has a five-year indicative budget. Some $31.9 million will be provided by the UN, and the remaining $ 40 million through the state agencies and other sources," said Isakzai.

This UNAPF is the fourth United Nations cooperation document produced by the United Nations System in Azerbaijan and is characterized by the transition from mainly development assistance based cooperation to a partnership, based on significantly increased national capacities and more knowledge-intensive, advocacy-driven synergies with the national planning process.

So far, various UN structures have implemented almost 50 projects, worth $96.6 million, in Azerbaijan.

Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev, in turn, said that Azerbaijan and the UN have established three joint working groups for the implementation of the UNAPF.

Azerbaijan has worked closely with the UN since 1992 and participated in a number of programs, the minister said while talking to reporters.

"The UNAPF document fits into the national development concept of Azerbaijan, and meets the principles, which are set out in the strategic road maps apporved for various sectors of the economy. Three working groups have been set up for the implementation of this document: to diversify the economy, to strengthen institutional capacity in the provision of effective social services and in the field of environmental protection to reduce the risks to the environment,” he said.  

In December 2016, President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree endorsing “Strategic Road Maps for the national economy and main economic sectors” which will allow define the development goals and priorities and ensure their proper and timely implementation.

These 12  strategic road maps cover almost all sectors of the economy, including, development of the oil and gas industry, the manufacture and processing of agricultural products, the manufacture  of small and medium entrepreneurship-level consumer goods, development of heavy industry and machinery, tourism, logistics and trade, vocational education and training, financial services, communication and information technologies and utilities.

Some 27 billion manats will be required to implement the strategic goals outlined in the documents.