Having joined the Millennium Declaration, Azerbaijan, 49 percent of whose population were living in poverty in 2000, has carried out comprehensive measures in the field of fighting poverty through successful implementation of the “State Programme on poverty reduction and economic development in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2003-2005” and “State Programme on poverty reduction and sustainable development in the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2008-2015.” Over the past years, Azerbaijan has achieved significant successes with regard to a number of targets of the Millennium Development Goals, particularly protecting human health, improving the environment, eliminating poverty, increasing the level of education of the population, and promoting and ensuring gender equality.

It is an undeniable truth that our country, which had a poverty rate of only 4.9 percent in 2015, has joined the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) approved at the Sustainable Development Summit of the UN member states and started to carry out the duties arising from the “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” (hereinafter - Agenda 2030). Adopted by the world community and consisting of 17 global goals and 169 targets that are of fundamental importance in terms of the development of current and future generations, the Agenda 2030 marks the beginning of a new development phase of society. The national implementation of this Agenda, which relies on the principle of “leaving no one behind,” has set the stage for the implementation of comprehensive reforms in Azerbaijan, as well. At national level, the global goals set out in the above-mentioned Agenda can only be achieved with the adequate political will to develop a more sustainable, comprehensive and diversified economy in our country, as well as to ensure a balanced development of social areas. By saying “…Our policy is a long-term policy. We are thinking about the future of our country, and long-term and sustainable development,” Mr. President Ilham Aliyev both clearly demonstrates this will of the state and defines the key priorities of our national development agenda.

It should be noted that according to the 6 October 2016 Decree #1066 of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan “On the establishment of the National Coordination Council for Sustainable Development of the Republic of Azerbaijan,” the national priorities and their indicators that are important for Azerbaijan and have been determined in line with the Sustainable Development Goals point to the key aspects of the sustainable development reforms to be implemented in our country.  

Thus, in order to ensure coordination of the performance of duties falling on state agencies in connection with the national obligations arising from the Agenda 2030, the National Coordination Council for Sustainable Development has been established under the leadership of Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Ali Ahmadov based on the relevant Decree of the President, a mechanism for monitoring and reporting on national achievement of SDGs has been established, and concrete tasks have been assigned to the relevant state agencies.