AZERBAIJAN Annual Report 2019 UNITED NATIONS-AZERBAIJAN PARTNERSHIP FRAMEWORK 2016-2020 Layout & Design Grid Cartels Photography UN Azerbaijan Archives Cover Often, the UN Office in Azerbaijan hosts school students to raise awareness on the history, values and goals of the United Nations, as well as the work done by the UN entities in Azerbaijan. CONTENT FOREWORD 4 TOP HIGHLIGHTS 6 SECTION 1: CONTEXT 10 Development picture in Azerbaijan 10 Political and peace picture 12 SECTION 2: KEY RESULTS 14 Towards Agenda 2030 14 Strategic Priority Area One: Promoting Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Development, Underpinned by Increased Diversification and Decent Work 16 Strategic Priority Area Two: Strengthening Institutional Capacities and Effective Public and Social Services 20 Strategic Priority Area Three: Improving Environmental Management and Resilience to Hazards and Disasters 26 Empowering Youth 28 Empowering Women 30 Human Rights 31 SECTION 3: COORDINATION RESULTS 36 SECTION 4: WAY FORWARD 42 SECTION 5: PARTNERS AND FINANCIAL OVERVIEW 44 Partners 44 Financial Overview 44 KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTS 46 FOREWORD am pleased to present the 2019 Annual Report on activities by the United Nations Country Team I (UNCT) in Azerbaijan, under the 2016-2020 United Nations-Azerbaijan Partnership Framework. The report showcases our support to Azerbaijan’s efforts to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. This is an ambitious agenda that Azerbaijan has been seeking to achieve through a range of public policies in the social, economic and climate change spheres. The report uses concrete examples of UNCT’s contributions to policies, strategies and actions that strengthened Azerbaijan’s human and institutional capacities in 2019. Our efforts were conducted in close collaboration with our partners in Government, civil society and the private sector. We also engaged our development partners in various ways, creating new opportunities for the people of Azerbaijan - particularly the most vulnerable - to enjoy the benefits of sustainable development. The report has been put together at a time Azerbaijan is playing an increasingly important role in international peace and development. In 2019 Baku hosted several high-level UN events, such as the 43rd session of UNESCO World Heritage Committee, the United Nations Public Service 4 ANNUAL REPORT 2019 Forum, the 5th World Forum on Intercultural people of Azerbaijan in the next years to ensure Dialogue, and the 110th Session of the Executive the country stays on track of the achievement of Council of The World Tourism Organization. The the 2030 Agenda despite the disruption caused by city also hosted several honorary guests, such as the COVID-19. President of the United Nations General Assembly, the Under Secretary-Generals for Economic and As I invite you to learn more about the full range Social Affairs and for Political and Peacebuilding of our activities and accomplishments in 2019, I Affairs, and the High-Representative for the United would also like to express, on behalf of the UNCT, Nations Alliance of Civilizations. These are all signs my sincere appreciation to the Government of of advanced cooperation between the UN system Azerbaijan, our development partners, and our and Azerbaijan in promoting global solidarity and staff and experts whose work was very instrumental multilateral action. in achieving these results. These values have recently come under threat with a few rising voices against multilateralism and for the protection of national interests and identities. Ghulam Isaczai Yet the global response to the recent COVID-19 United Nations Resident outbreak has shown that isolationism undermines Coordinator in Azerbaijan rather than protects nations. At the UNCT we are proud that cooperation modalities were established very early on with the Government to address the immediate effects of this crisis, including through the exchange of international expertise, advocacy and technical support. We ensured that vital medical supplies were procured, prevention messages were broadcast, and the best technical advice was made available to our national counterparts. We will continue working with the Government and ANNUAL REPORT 2019 5 TOP HIGHLIGHTS Amendments to the Law on the State Registry National Information Portal Allows Convention of the Population on the SDGs was launched- refugees to be recognized were adopted by the introduces an interactive as officially residing in the Parliament and approved dashboard which tracks and country, which gives them by the President monitors progress towards the access to legal employment SDGs in real-time (UNDP) and other social services (UNHCR) National Sustainable The country’s first Data Centre Energy plan was - a data storage facility was At Azerbaijan’s first ever developed- provides analysis established in Yevlakh district, Inclusivity Hackathon and recommendations to makes Azerbaijan the fourth ex- - 16 teams worked increase energy efficiency Soviet country with a Data Centre, relentlessly for 48 hours and and reduce the negative extends the reach of the ICT to the developed a wide range of environmental impact of most remote parts of the country prototypes and open source energy use by developing and improves information security code solutions to tackle appropriate and sustainable for telecommunications operators, challenges facing people policy frameworks (UNECE) businesses and IT companies (UNDP) with disabilities (UNDP) 6 ANNUAL REPORT 2019 National Action Plan on Prevention of and Response to National Antimicrobial A Vision document Gender Biased Sex Selection Resistance (AMR) Action for Primary (GBSS) was developed-when Plan was finalized helps Healthcare (PHC) endorsed, it will present the the Government strengthen was developed- comprehensive roadmap for its health and surveillance aims to develop the the effective intervention systems to prevent and manage best PHC model for strategies to reduce the antimicrobial resistance (WHO) Azerbaijan (WHO) phenomenon of the GBSS in Azerbaijan (UNFPA) The first maternity hospital adopted international An Agreement was reached Baby-Friendly Hospital with the National Bar standards promotes Association to provide free Azerbaijan adopted a breastfeeding and other good legal aid to the victims of new ten-year national infant health and nutrition domestic violence and pro forestry programme, ensures practices (UNICEF) bono legal services to refugees sustainable management and and asylum seekers (UNRCO, efficient use of the forest UNHCR) resources, protection of forest reserves and biodiversity, and climate change adaptation (FAO, UNECE) ANNUAL REPORT 2019 7 DATA HIGHLIGHTS Around Around 2,400 IDPs, refugees and asylum- seekers benefited from 3000 14000 free of charge vision patients (of Hepatitis C, drug- people benefited screening tests and sensitive tuberculosis and HIV) from free received eyeglasses and accessed high quality reagents legal services other vision and hearing and medicines (UNDP) (UNDP,OHCHR,IOM) items (UNHCR) More than Around 3,600 More than young people aged 12-24 in six 500 districts benefitted from the Basic health professionals in 100 Life Skills and Reproductive Health rural households 30 districts can better and Gender Equality programmes, (66 women-led) review and analyse legal and psychological counselling established or the near-missed cases, through the Joint Government-UN enhanced their small screen cervical cancer, Youth Houses Initiative (UNICEF, family businesses and support family UN Women, UNFPA, UNV and the UN (UNDP, IOM, FAO) planning (UNFPA) Youth Advisory Council) 8 ANNUAL REPORT 2019 78 Nine regional employment joint alternative reports centres apply ILO SIYB and joint inputs for List of Issues were 320 methodology-one community-based submitted by civil society of the largest global Early Learning representatives and business management Centers for 3-to- members of the lawyers’ training programmes 4year-old children community to UN Treaty to help small-scale serves more than Bodies, including CESCR, entrepreneurs start and 6,000 children in 32 CRC, CEDAW, CRPD, and grow their business districts (UNICEF) CAT. (OHCHR) Nearly 60 More than 7 mln public and private cubic metres of gas extension service 5000 previously released into the providers throughout primary school teachers atmosphere now is collected country now provide in 7 districts educated and delivered to more quality technical advice on teaching standards than 600 households in to farmers (FAO) to deliver inclusive 15 villages who previously education for children used wood from the forests with disabilities (UNICEF) to heat their homes and cook(UNDP ,State Oil Company (SOCAR) ANNUAL REPORT 2019 9 17 local artists visually interpreted each goal on used oil barrels to promote the SDGs through visual art. SECTION 1 CONTEXT reflecting greater dynamism in most economic Development picture sectors. Several positive amendments to the tax code (Presidential decree of 20 December, 2018) were in Azerbaijan introduced to promote entrepreneurship, address tax evasion and the shadow economy, broaden the tax Azerbaijan is an upper-middle-income country with a base, improving tax administration and increase the GDP per capita of $USD 4722. Supported by stable efficiency of tax deductions. Fourth State Program oil production and a modest acceleration in domestic on the socio-economic development of the regions demand, real GDP expanded by 2.2 percent in 20191. of Azerbaijan was launched. In the World Bank’s The2