Azerbaijan continues social programs amid COVID-19

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan carries out large-scale social projects for the improvement of the population’s welfare. The country’s social projects are record high in 2020 despite the pandemic.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection is also taking measures to increase access of disabled people to the labor market and small business, as a result of which 4,000 people with disabilities have created their own households under the self-employment program, Minister Sahil Babayev has said.

Addressing the meeting via a videoconference with President of the International Social Security Association Joachim Breuer, Minister Babayev said that the ministry is developing specialized profile tests, modern modular training programs and professional standards for people with disabilities.

Babayev noted recent reforms in the sphere of labor, employment and social protection and wide use of electronic technologies in this spheres.

The minister noted the work done during the pandemic to expand social protection and active employment programs. In addition, he emphasized the measures taken for professional rehabilitation of disabled people.

In turn, Breuer highly appreciated work done in Azerbaijan during the pandemic for the social security of the population.

Moreover, DOST Working Center under the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection implements a program of paid public works in Ganja and other regions across the country.

The program, which plays an important role in expanding employment opportunities for unemployed and job seekers, also includes about 1,300 people, mainly from vulnerable groups, in Ganja. Each of them has an employment contract, which creates the basis for their future rights to social security.

Paid public works include landscaping, park maintenance, disinfection, social services for single elderly and disabled people, and much more.

It should be noted that Azerbaijan has provided social assistance to about 2.6 million people during the period of January-August 2020. The population received AZN 3.8 million ($2.2M) for these types of social assistance, which is by 25.7 percent or AZN 782.7 million ($460.4M) more than in the same period of last year.

Likewise, the ministry aims to attract 12,000 unemployed people to the self-employment program in 2020. So far, some 5,100 unemployed people in Azerbaijan are involved in the self-employment program. Of them, 970 of citizens participating in the program are people with disabilities, 659 are IDPs, 87 are members of martyrs’ families, 78 are people released from correctional institutions and 57 are recipients of targeted social assistance.

Azerbaijan also continues opening vocational education centers that are providing training courses for those who have difficulty in choosing a suitable job due to a lack of qualifications, as well as for those who need to change their profession due to a lack of work that matches their professional skills.

Additionally, a record number of over 1,500 apartments and private houses, as well as 400 cars will be handed over to martyrs’ families and disabled war veterans in 2020.

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