The conference was opened by Deputy Minister Matin Kirimly who spoke about the country’s achievements, including the national socio-economic development strategy for poverty reduction; consolidation of the social protection system and the measures to ensure integrated social service delivery by various national agencies.

More than 90 participants discussed elements of the ILO’s Social Protection Floor already implemented in Azerbaijan. They stressed the Government’s and social partners commitment to implement the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 and the social protection system as an essential element of the 2030 Agenda.

According to the ILO’s World Social Protection Report 2017-2019 public social protection spending in Azerbaijan amounts to 6.2% of GDP. The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population reported that in 2017, 28.3% of the country's population (about 2.8 million people) accessed different social transfers. Pensions and targeted state social assistance make up the greatest share of all social protection programmes.

The Social Protection Floor entails nationally defined set of programmes guarantying access to income security for children, persons in active age unable to earn sufficient income and for elderly: and access to basic health care including maternity care. These basic guarantees are meant to be a springboard to other social, labour and economic rights and services. One of the first Government’s  actions to further consolidate the social protection system and align it better with the labour market policy is the setting up of a national observatory on labour market and social protection affairs.

An important point on the conference agenda was the design of the national Social Protection Floor which should be guided by the social security standards. This calls for a closure of gaps in design of guarantees for children and active labour age population, which the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population seeks to address.