IDEA awards winners of contest announced among students - PHOTOS

Baku hosted the ceremony of awarding the winners of republican contest for the best essay, announced by International Dialogue for Environmental Action (IDEA) campaign, launched in July last year by Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva among bachelors and masters.

Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Intigam Babayev said at the event that the IDEA is a uniting the youth project which is really known throughout the world.

Babayev said the Azerbaijani youth has taken its rightful place in the world. As one of the important projects, IDEA brings together youth of the world on one common platform, he said.

Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Firdovsi Aliyev said in his speech that during the Soviet period there was almost no concept of "ecology and environment" in Azerbaijan. But after Azerbaijan gained independence and as Azerbaijani economy has been developing problems of ecology and environment have found the solution, as all the other problems.

Deputy Minister of Economic Development Niyazi Safarov assessed the event as a call to the world, as well as an example of solidarity on issues related to the environment.

The main purpose of the essay contest is to mobilise Azerbaijani youth to the Rio+20 Summit on sustainable development, which will be held this June in Rio de Janeiro, to make young people think about global environmental problems our planet is facing today and could face.

Students of the National Academy of Aviation, Baku State University and Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy Tural Mammadov, Nurana Akhundzade and Alla Savelieva sent their messages on the Summit Rio+20 and at an essay competition jury awarded them the first, second and third places respectively.

The award ceremony was attended by representatives of public and private sectors who welcomed the IDEA campaign and ongoing projects within it.

At the end of the event a tender was announced for a new IDEA project "Book project about the environment", held at the initiative of the founder of the campaign Leyla Aliyeva.

The project provides for the first time in Azerbaijan publication of a textbook for high school students with an innovative and international experience.