Azerbaijani MP: Non-governmental organizations play a great role in pushing sustainable development in all countries

Strasbourg, June 27, AZERTAC “Non-governmental organizations play a great role in pushing sustainable development in all countries,” said member of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE Sevinj Fataliyeva as she addressed the organization’s Summer Session in Strasbourg. “Establishment of civil society in my country has its specific historical development that has passed through democratic improvement. Objectives, targets, and priorities which are considered as important for the development of public sector, have been determined and enriched as a result of sustainable discussions and international practice,” she said. “NGOs are involved in the implementation of programs and projects that are of importance for the state and society. In 2007, the Council on State Support to NGOs under the Auspices of the President of Azerbaijan was established. In 2014, the Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Azerbaijani Parliament and the Council for State Support to NGOs, aiming to strengthen the cooperation between the Parliament and civil society. In 26 years of independence we have allocated about 306 million manats to the activity of this sector. More than 30,000 people have been employed in the NGO sector over ten years.” “Azerbaijan is constantly improving the law on non-governmental organizations, introducing new forms of reporting, fully transparent and simplified. These actions are carried out as the "e-government" project develops. All state organizations, including the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Taxes, the Ministry of Finance, the State Pension Fund, have their own web portals, through which they report on the activities of certain NGOs.” “President of Azerbaijan signed a decree on applying the principle of a "single window" in the process of issuing grants by foreign donors in the territory of Azerbaijan. The decree is intended to support the activities of civil society organizations, simplify the procedure for foreign grants in the territory of Azerbaijan, ensure transparency in this area and purposeful expenditure of the allocated funds. In particular, the introduction of the "single window" principle in the procedure for obtaining grants by non-governmental organizations of Azerbaijan removes a number of obstacles in financing the activities of the civil sector from foreign donors. Over the past time, this principle has been developed and widely applied.” “We live in a world where every effort to make our lives better is appreciated: protecting women and children rights, and the rights of minorities is still a challenge for all of us. We must appreciate and support NGOs in such situation,” MP Fataliyeva concluded.