Azerbaijan, UNDP create small businesses for vulnerable groups

Azerbaijan’s Labor and Social Protection of Population Ministry and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) are creating small businesses for unemployed people with disabilities in a joint project called "Creating Inclusive and Decent Jobs for Vulnerable Groups”.

During the meeting of the country’s Labor and Social Protection Minister Sahil Babayev with UNDP Resident Representative in Azerbaijan Alessandro Fracassetti, on the completion of his tenure in Azerbaijan, the minister noted that some of the 517 people whose business plans have been approved have already set up their own farms with assets.

Moreover, the minister stated that the project, which promotes the access of socially vulnerable groups to small businesses, also supports the improvement of measures of active employment, professional and social rehabilitation of people with disabilities.

He stressed the importance of organizing courses in cooperation with the world's leading online learning system Coursera to provide the unemployed with the necessary knowledge and skills to re-enter the labor market.

Furthermore, Babayev noted that the joint project "Development of Innovation and Employment in Azerbaijan" also supports the access of young people to the labor market. He spoke about the importance of the project, which is a continuation of cooperation aimed at ensuring the rights and well-being of women with disabilities and veterans of the Karabakh war.

Likewise, he emphasized the successful development of relations between Azerbaijan and the UNDP during Fracassetti’s activity and thanked him for his contribution.

In turn, Fracassetti expressed satisfaction with the cooperation with the ministry and the results of joint work. Noting that the joint projects have formed a successful experience of cooperation, he expressed confidence that this cooperation will be further developed.

UNDP has been working in Azerbaijan since 1992. The UNDP activities in Azerbaijan initially focused on the provision of an early recovery program, especially to those affected by the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Over time, UNDP’s role in Azerbaijan has shifted toward longer-term socio-economic development in line with the country’s evolving needs. The main programming framework for all UN activities in Azerbaijan is the UN-Azerbaijan Partnership Framework signed between the UN and the Economy Ministry in 2016.