Azernews.Az

A training-seminar was held for Azerbaijani media representatives on Tuesday as part of the Global Compact (GC) project.
Fargan Abbaszada, the spokesman for the UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan, said the goal of the seminar was to brief local journalists about the main principles of the GC initiative, which is supported by the UN Development Program and the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO). It also seeks to hold discussions on ways of applying the agreement in Azerbaijan, the benefits of the initiative for companies joining it, as well as creating the national GC network.
Emil Majidov, President of AZPROMO, said the GC, which has been joined by the world`s leading countries, is a UN mechanism dealing with human rights in the private sector, labor, environmental protection, anti-corruption combat and enforcing social responsibility.
AZPROMO acts as the UN`s executing partner on the implementation of the GC project in Azerbaijan, which began in 2007. Participation in the project is voluntary.
UN Resident Coordinator, Bruno Pouezat, said that by implementing the project, the UN was trying to support the private sector in countries with transitional and growing economies.
"The private sector drives economic growth in every country. It also brings to the fore the most active members of society. This sector can be seen as a bridge between society and the government," Pouezat said.
He added that by joining the GC project, Azerbaijani companies receive a chance to apply international standards in their operation and to boost the country`s image on the world stage. The UN plays the role of mediator in implementing the project and attracts interested parties to the initiative.
The GC project is funded in Azerbaijan by StatoilHydro which, itself, joined the initiative eleven years ago. Among Azerbaijani companies and organizations, the Azerbaijan Marketing Society was the first to join the GC project in 2006.