USAID works with public and private sector partners as well as civil society to support the Azerbaijani government’s efforts to improve its transparency, accountability and responsiveness to the people. USAID also helps citizens utilize their resources, skills and abilities to make a difference within their communities and society. Our efforts in these areas help citizens, communities and the government address some of the most pressing local and global challenges and increase community resiliency and progress. Read more about USAID activities in this sector below.
USAID’s flagship Socio-Economic Development Activity (SEDA), implemented by East-West Management Institute in partnership with the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, promotes cooperation between citizens, civil society organizations, and government to advance socio-economic development and improve quality of life in rural areas of Azerbaijan. Through training and other interventions, SEDA builds the capacity of communities, groups and individual citizens to constructively engage with local and regional officials to improve their communities. To date, SEDA has supported 168 community development projects benefiting over 300,000 people across Azerbaijan.
To improve Azerbaijan’s effectiveness in preventing and combating human trafficking, USAID works with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in collaboration with the State Committee on Family, Women and Children’s Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs on the Counter Trafficking in Persons project. The project supports the work of the Clean World Women’s Shelter and Azerbaijan Children’s Union Shelter in Baku, and the TAMAS Regional Development Public Union shelter in Ganja, as well as the Victim Assistant Centers under the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection.
USAID’s Empowering Civil Society Organizations for Transparency project, implemented by FHI 360, ICNL and MG Consulting, supports the Azerbaijani government to increase government institutional transparency and accountability. USAID has helped train more than 200 members of civil society organizations (CSOs) on various topics, including how to support government efforts to increase their transparency and services to the public. The project has worked with the Ministry of Justice to train 120 members of CSOs on how to meet the government reporting requirements related to efforts to prevent money laundering and financing of terrorism. The project has also helped government institutions train employees on ethics requirements and anti-corruption legislation.
The Public Action for Resiliency project with IOM supports local communities and projects to foster community cohesion and resilience, with a special focus on youth and women. The project aims to keep youth positively engaged in and contributing to their communities. Under this project, USAID and IOM have trained young people from vulnerable groups across the country on computer skills, English language, accounting and finance, and business management; held three job fairs for 750 vacancies attended by almost 1,000 young people; and supported the activities of government Youth Houses and centers across the country.
Independent media plays a critical role in building an engaged, empowered, and educated citizenry. Through its Media Support Activity, USAID provides local journalists with access to training opportunities to help advance journalistic excellence in Azerbaijan. Trainings provided in the past years have included data-driven journalism, ethical reporting of sensitive issues like domestic violence, multimedia storytelling and more.