Azernews.Az

By Leman Mammadova

The third meeting of the Steering Committee of the United Nations-Azerbaijan Partnership Framework (UNAPF) covering 2016-2020 has been held in Baku.

In 2018, as much as $4,998,519 was spent on joint projects implemented by Azerbaijan and the UN, Azerbaijani Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev said at the meeting.

In his words, the funds were spent as part of one of strategic priority areas under the UN-Azerbaijan Partnership Framework for the period 2016-2020.

Mustafayev added that a total of $71.9 million will be allocated within this framework document, which covers several strategic areas. To this day, $68.2 million have been spent, that is, 95 percent of the funds.

Minister noted that the relations with the UN are at a high level, Azerbaijan has joined many UN initiatives and programs, and important documents have been signed.

It was also noted that the Development Agenda up to 2030 is strategically important to fully integrate into the development agenda of the goals, targets and indicators identified as a priority for Azerbaijan.

UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan Ghulam Isaczai stressed that Azerbaijani government has been cooperating effectively with the UN Country Office and stated that the UN-Azerbaijan Partnership Framework Document will contribute to rapid reforms.

At the meeting, the UN contribution to the development of Azerbaijan in the areas of economic growth and decent labor, institutional capacity, public services and social services, as well as environmental protection and natural disaster risk reduction were discussed.

The Steering Committee adopted the results achieved during the implementation of UNAPF in 2018 and also approved the joint action plans for 2019-2020, the results of the interim review and the terms for the final evaluation of the UNAPF.

The UNAPF document for 2016-2020 is the fourth co-operation document prepared by the UN system in Azerbaijan. This document is characterized by the collaborative effort to build on partnerships, which contributes to the development of national capacities and requires greater knowledge and consensus on a collaborative, joint effort with the national planning process.

The Ministry of Economy is the coordinator from the Azerbaijani side on the framework document for the partnership between the UN and Azerbaijan.

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Leman Mammadova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @leman_888

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