Azernews.Az

Nazrin Abdul

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The 11th Azerbaijan Youth Forum is being held in Baku on February 2, organised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

As reported by Azernews, Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gayibov opened the event by reading a message from President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev addressed to young people on the occasion of Azerbaijan Youth Day.

During the forum, awards will be presented to young recipients of the Presidential Youth Awards, in accordance with a decree signed by the head of state on January 30 on granting the 2026 Presidential Awards for Youth.

The Azerbaijan Youth Forum is a long-standing national platform aimed at engaging young people in public life and shaping state youth policy.

The first Azerbaijan Youth Forum was held on 2 February 1996 at the initiative of national leader Heydar Aliyev, bringing together thousands of young representatives from across the country. The event marked a turning point in institutional youth engagement and led to the establishment of Azerbaijan’s National Youth Day, celebrated annually on 2 February.

Since then, successive youth forums have been organised at different stages to reflect changing social, economic and political priorities. The forums typically convene young leaders, students, entrepreneurs, activists and representatives of youth organisations alongside senior government officials.

Discussions focus on key issues such as education, employment, innovation, civic participation, digital skills, and international cooperation. Proposals and recommendations voiced during the forums have often fed into national youth programmes, legislation and state support mechanisms.