| GENEVA |
| 15 November 2006 |
Improving employment policies, creating decent jobs, strengthening social dialogue,
advancing implementation of international labour standards - these are priorities outlined in the Decent Work
Country Programme of Azerbaijan for 2006-2009 signed here on Wednesday.
The programme has been developed jointly by the ILO and its tripartite constituents. It presents key strategies, outcomes and indicators required
to achieve progress towards decent work in the country.
A priority issue in the programme is employment. Despite significant oil-related GDP growth of 26.2 %, Azerbaijan still faces severe employment challenges.
In 2003 President Ilham Aliyev set up an ambitious goal - to create 600 000 new jobs in five years. As of today 475 000 jobs have been created, including 50%
permanent jobs.
One of the most vulnerable groups are young people who represent two-thirds of the country' population and account for 61% of the total number of unemployed.
In 2003 Azerbaijan joined the Youth Employment Network (YEN) - a global alliance among the United Nations, the World Bank and the ILO - and became one of its
nineteen lead countries. With the technical assistance of the ILO, the republic has mainstreamed action for your employment into its National Employment Strategy.
In accordance with the programme provisions, the ILO will also support creating a comprehensive labour market database system and developing decent work indicators;
promote entrepreneurship education through its Start and Improve Your Business Programme (SIYB); assist national constituents in upgrading vocational training
curricula using the modular employable skills methodology; help to improve national occupational safety and health system.
Azerbaijan became the first country in the subregion of Eastern Europe and Central Asia to sign a Decent Work Country Programme.
In the coming weeks three more programmes will be signed - in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
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The Programme was signed by Werner Konrad Blenk, ILO Subregional Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (left),
Friedrich Buttler, ILO Regional Director for Europe, and the tripartite partners - representatives of the Government,
employers' and workers' organizations of Azerbaijan
Friedrich Buttler, ILO Regional Director for Europe (left) and Fuzuli Alekberov, Minister
of Labour and Social Protection of Population of Azerbaijan: a handshake after the signature
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