Baku, 19 April 2021 – The European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are starting a new three-year project to support a modern, innovation-driven and sustainable civil society in Azerbaijan. EU-funding of EUR 3 million will help increase CSOs capacities to engage in policy-making processes, local development, and social innovation.

Today’s on-line launch event brought together over 50 local civil society organisations, social enterprises and active community groups.

In his opening remarks, EU Ambassador to Azerbaijan Kestutis Jankauskas stated that “the EU continues to support its partner Azerbaijan in its modernization efforts. The EU experience shows that building modern society succeeds only when fully supporting the development of the human capital, enabling the civil society through social entrepreneurship and encouraging civil initiatives”.

“CSOs are powerful allies that can drive positive change and they can have a central role in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. We have seen that worldwide social entrepreneurship is playing a growing role in key development areas such as women’s empowerment, climate action, SME growth and helping the most vulnerable people cope with the COVID-19 pandemic – and we believe that this project will complement such ongoing efforts in Azerbaijan too”, said UNDP Resident Representative, Alessandro Fracassetti.

Over the coming months, the project will help organise tailor-made and diversified training programmes for CSOs, and small grant schemes.

This project is fully funded by the European Union and will continue until 2023.

Media contact:

For media inquiries, please contact Dilara Umudova, Communications Officer for UNDP in Azerbaijan at dilara.umudova@undp.org.

Gulnara Bayramova, Press and Information Officer at the Delegation of the European Union to Azerbaijan at gulnara.bayramova@eeas.europa.eu.

The European Union is made up of 27 Member States who have decided to gradually link together their know-how, resources and destinies. Together, during a period of enlargement of more than 60 years, they have built a zone of stability, democracy and sustainable development whilst maintaining cultural diversity, tolerance and individual freedoms. The European Union is committed to sharing its achievements and its values with countries and peoples beyond its borders”.

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