Mehriban Aliyeva: Baku forum to contribute to constructive dialogue, strengthen mutual understanding - UPDATE
The UNAOC 7th Global Forum continued in Baku on April 27.
Azerbaijan's first lady, president of Heydar Aliyev Foundation,
goodwill ambassador of UNESCO and ISESCO, Mehriban Aliyeva made a
speech at the event.
"First of all, allow me to greet all participants of the concluding
session of the 7th Global Forum of UN Alliance of Civilizations and
to wish you all happiness, good health and lots of success. It is a
great honor for us to host this very important forum. I am sure
that this forum will make a valuable contribution to the
development of constructive dialogue and enrichment of cultures and
civilizations. At the same time, I hope that the participants of
the forum will find an opportunity to do some sightseeing in our
city, learn its culture, and feel its aura of hospitality and
kindness.
The topic of this session has a great public importance. Today, the
world is going through a large-scale social transformation, driven
by waves of migration, urbanization, climate change, and ageing of
population in some countries and increase of unemployed youth in
other countries. In some cases, we observe new opportunities for
social integration, in other cases, on the opposite, the isolation
of people from society. It is obvious that the social adaptation of
people in various countries requires different approaches and
solutions.
On this issue, much depends on the mentality of the nation, its
work ethic, the availability of the human and much-needed economic
resources. Today, I want to share with you the experience of our
country and to try to highlight the main priority of both the state
policy as well as the activities of the public institutions and
NGOs.
Azerbaijan, while being an ancient land, is at the same time one of
the youngest members of the United Nations. Having restored the
independence, which was lost in the beginning of XX century,
Azerbaijan has become a full member of the UN on March 2, 1992.
We have passed 25 year-long path of state building process. Most of
what you can see in Azerbaijan today have been achieved during this
period. I will not bring up any economic indicators and statistical
figures today. We are an open country and our economic and social
achievements are well known. Of course, we are very proud of such
fast progress. We have managed to achieve significant
transformation of the economy and ensure its integration into world
economic system. We have built an effective system of governance at
all levels of public life. Reforms have been undertaken in the
field of science, culture and education. And we have managed to
implement all of this relying on rich human potential of our
nation.
It is very important to note that this progress has been achieved
despite enormous difficulties that our nation has faced during this
period of our history. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the
country had serious political, social and economic crisis. The
happiness coming from the restored independence was overshadowed by
the sadness coming from the loss of human lives and the occupation
of our historic lands. By the time Azerbaijan became member of UN,
Armenia-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been underway
for 5 years already and this has resulted in occupation of 20
percent of Azerbaijani lands and the emergence of 1 million of IDPs
and refugees.
As a result of Armenian occupation, 900 settlements, 150 000
houses, 693 schools, 975 kindergartens, 695 clinics on Azerbaijani
territories have been destroyed. We have also lost more than 40 000
unique historical museum artifacts and materials and 4.6 million
books and manuscripts in 927 libraries. One can hardly imagine the
level of damage imposed on cultural heritage of Azerbaijan.
Using this opportunity, I want to thank all UN agencies, which were
together with us during those horrible days. UN Security Council
adopted 4 resolutions, calling for the immediate withdrawal of
Armenian military troops from Azerbaijani territories. We are
thankful to all international organizations, which helped us during
that period.
Government of Azerbaijan faced a very difficult task: within a very
short period to accept, settle and feed hundreds of thousands
children, women, elderly, who became victims of aggressive policy
of our neighbor. A country, which had 7 million people had to solve
the problems of 1 million compatriots without much economic
assistance and resources. To appreciate this challenge, one can
look at the current situation with migrants around the world and
compare the numbers.
In difficult times of 1993 when the aggression was underway and 7
adjacent regions to Nagorno-Karabakh were also occupied, the
foundation of modern statehood and its basic principle of social
protection of every citizen was laid down. We have managed to
maintain the most important asset that is the human capital of the
nation. Even in refugee camps, public schools, including music
schools continued to operate. All humanitarian state bodies
functioned without interruption. Children attended schools,
teachers were teaching, doctors were treating patients. These daily
routine works have instilled a sense of hope for tomorrow. This was
one of the most reliable and effective methods of social adaptation
of people, who have lost everything.
In subsequent years, government has done and continues to do
everything possible for normalization of these people's lives. We
have managed to eliminate all tent camps and build modern housing
settlements for refugees and IDPs. These people are provided with
jobs and social welfare benefits. Young generation received access
to modern education. Speaking in medical terms, all of these
efforts to help people were only palliative treatment. The person
who finds himself or herself in a refugee status loses its personal
identity. One can create for them ideal conditions for living, but
nothing can replace their longing for native land and house.
Elderly dream of finding last rest place in their native land,
youth wants to return to their ancestor's lands.
I believe that every one of us can understand these human
sufferings and agree that for the lasting solution of this problem
it is important to have the liberation of the occupied territories
and return of people to their homes. No matter what kind of social
adaptation we speak about, we must clearly understand that
Karabakh, Syrian, and Iraqi, and Afghani refugees and IDPs carry in
themselves not only physical losses and difficulties.
Recovering from psychological traumas and hurt souls requires
much more time and effort. We must unite our efforts so that the
existing conflicts could finally reach their resolutions, so that
no new epicenters of conflicts appear in the world, so that the
number of refugees and IDPs does not increase.
The least everyone can try to show sympathy to the pain, tragedy
and loss of another person. Compassion should become a real
instrument for the resolution of human sufferings.
Dear guests, I would like to talk about projects of Heydar Aliyev
Foundation, implemented in public-private partnership. They cover
wide range of issues. As an example, in 2005 we have started the
renovation and construction of public schools and have completed
412 of them. This initiative was later supported by government of
Azerbaijan and we have created a good model of cooperation between
government, NGOs and businesses. Today the outcome of this
cooperation is the renovation of 3000 schools out of 5000 existing
ones.
I also want to highlight the projects, directed towards the social
integration of children, who have lost their parents and who are
brought up in orphanages, as well as of people with disabilities.
The Heydar Aliyev Foundation has managed to instill in people's
mind the idea of equality of all citizens, tolerance towards
children who have lost their parents.
Within the framework of the program, development of children's
houses and orphanages the foundation has renovated and equipped 34
children's institutions. We arrange the participation of these kids
in international competitions; we send them for vacations to
resorts abroad. Foundation also provides an opportunity for
children from other countries with similar conditions to visit
Azerbaijan and get to know our country. Moreover, construction of
buildings for orphans who have reached adulthood has also played an
important role in social integration of youth into society.
Interaction of people with disabilities with healthy persons is an
important element of social integration. At the moment, we have
almost 570 000 people with disabilities in Azerbaijan, including 67
000 kids. As our experience shows, this category of people often
having trouble to participate in the life of the society.
A major role in the social integration of kids with disabilities is
played by inclusive education. Inclusion of kids with disabilities
into the process of education alongside with the healthy kids
ensures that they are accepted by the society. Despite the fact
that Azerbaijan has joined the UN Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities in 2008, first steps on inclusive
education were made even before that, in 2004. Today, 366 kids with
disabilities are involved in inclusive education.
Within the project Ensuring access for blind persons to Information
Technologies, we created a modern ICT center in republican
orphanage school for blind kids in Baku. The Foundation has also
built several regional information centers for people with
disabilities, as well as rehabilitation center for kids with
special needs, including Down syndrome patients.
Relying on our own experience, we have also implemented a similar
project in Bosnia and Herzegovina's capital Sarajevo, where the
Foundation has reconstructed the center for blind youth and kids.
In September of the last year, the Heydar Aliyev Foundation has
built a new dormitory in Hungary for the Roman-Catholic center for
kids with weak eyesight, named after Laslo Batyani.
Within the frames of the project "Azerbaijan - the address of
tolerance", the Foundation contributes to the renovation of
catholic, orthodox churches and synagogues. As a part of that
project, we have supported constriction of the educational center
for Jewish kids living in Baku. We also restored Rome catacombs of
Saint Marchelino and Saint Pietro in Rome. For the first time in
the history of Vatican, an organization from a Muslim country has
helped to restore these saint monuments of Christianity.
The Foundation has also implemented a number of other projects in
France. We have provided financial support for the restoration of
several ancient place of worship in various regions of France,
including Strasburg Cathedral. Azerbaijan also became one of the
sponsors in the creation of the Department of Islamic Art in
Louvre.
Dear friends, Azerbaijan is a multi-national, multi-religious
country in which representatives of all religions and ethnic groups
are citizens of the country with equal rights. Religious and ethnic
tolerance, which is now accepted in the progressive world as an
important pillar of democracy, has become a norm in Azerbaijani
society. It is with sense of pride that I want to note that
historically we have never had cases of discrimination or animosity
on the national or religious basis.
Though the majority of our people are Muslim, Christian, Jewish,
and other religions are also represented. There are 649 religious
communities in Azerbaijan, including 24 non-Muslim. For example, we
have a settlement of Krasnaya Sloboda in Guba district, which is
the only place in the world where Mountainous Jews live
together.
High level of social tolerance towards all segments of population
is an indicator of a developed society. I think that one of our
most important achievements is the existence of that level of
social tolerance in Azerbaijani society today.
It is for sure that our country continues to face many unresolved
issues, challenges and problems. The process of transformation and
modernization in many sectors continues. However, looking back to
our successes and achievements, we see our future with optimism,
because we believe in our country's most valuable asset - its human
potential.
I want to conclude my speech with a quote from famous Albert
Einstein: The life of the individual has meaning only insofar as it
aids in making the life of every living thing nobler and more
beautiful. Life is sacred, that is to say, it is the supreme value,
to which all other values are subordinate.
Once again, I wish you all good health, happiness and peace.
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