The conference was attended by Sahil Babayev, Minister of Labour and Social Protection of Population, Sattar Mohbaliyev, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Trade Union Confederation (ATUC), Mammad Musayev, President of the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers), a group of specialists of the ILO Decent Work Technical Support Team and Country Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia headed by the Director Olga Koulaeva, representatives of the relevant ministries and state agencies.

New DWCP will cover the period of 2022-2026 and it will be fully aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for Azerbaijan. Its main focus areas are application of the international labour standards, employment, social protection, social services, occupational safety and health, labour inspection, social dialogue and tripartism.

In his welcome speech, Sahil Babayev noted that over the past years three social reform packages have been implemented in the country, covering 4 million people. He also described  innovative achievements in the social sphere, such as DOST centers, automated mechanisms for determining social payments, e-social portal. Amendments to 170 articles of the Labour Code have been prepared and submitted to strengthen labour rights and regulate them in accordance with the international standards.

Olga Koulaeva said that the new DWCP will mark a new progress towards important goals in the field of decent work. DWCP will increase the resilience of vulnerable groups and focus on the future of work in line with the UNSDCF of Azerbaijan, she said.