BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 10. Azerbaijan
International Development Assistance Agency (AIDA) will focus on
building new partnerships, improving cooperation mechanisms, and
expanding the country's practical contribution to the global
development agenda at the next stage, Deputy Foreign Minister of
Azerbaijan Yalchin Rafiyev said during the closing of the
conference on "Advancing Global Solidarity through Humanitarian
Assistance and Development Cooperation" dedicated to the 15th
anniversary of the establishment of AIDA, Trend's correspondent
reports from the event.
He noted that the discussions held within the framework of the
conference once again showed that international humanitarian and
development cooperation is facing new challenges in a rapidly
changing global environment.
"Challenges such as armed conflicts, climate change, natural
disasters, food and energy security, health crises, and forced
displacement are increasingly interconnected. This requires more
flexible, coordinated, and long-term approaches to their solution,"
Rafiyev pointed out.
According to the deputy minister, humanitarian assistance
remains important in terms of timely and effective response to
crises. At the same time, in order to achieve sustainable results,
humanitarian interventions should be accompanied by measures aimed
at supporting development, strengthening institutional capacity,
investing in human capital, and increasing resilience.
"The discussions within the panel once again showed the
importance of linking immediate crisis response measures with
long-term efforts to strengthen resilience," he said.
Rafiyev stressed the importance of basing humanitarian action on
the principles of humanism, impartiality, neutrality, and
independence, as well as strengthening coordination between
governments, international organizations, and other partners.
He also noted that the nature of development cooperation is
changing and new cooperation mechanisms are becoming increasingly
important.
"South-South and triangular cooperation, technical cooperation,
knowledge and experience exchange, capacity building and sharing of
institutional experience are emerging as important areas of
cooperation between countries," the deputy minister emphasized.
Rafiyev further said that these issues are of particular
importance for Azerbaijan. According to him, over the 15 years of
its activity, AIDA has become an important institutional mechanism
for Azerbaijan's international humanitarian assistance and
development cooperation.
"During this period, the geography of Azerbaijan's assistance
has expanded, and more than 140 countries have benefited from
Azerbaijan's international assistance activities in various forms,"
he noted.
The deputy minister also highlighted Azerbaijan's cooperation
with Africa and small island developing states. He cited the
initiative to combat preventable blindness in Africa, as well as
initiatives to support the inclusion of cultural heritage sites of
small island developing states in the UNESCO World Heritage List as
examples of Azerbaijan's commitment to practical and sustainable
development cooperation.
Rafiyev underscored that development cooperation spans beyond
the provision of financial resources.
"Exchange of knowledge and experience, sharing of Azerbaijan's
know-how, technical assistance, education, health, strengthening of
institutional capacity, and development of human capital are also
important components of such cooperation," he explained.
He emphasized the importance of sharing Azerbaijan's experience
with partner countries, especially within the framework of
South-South and triangular cooperation.
"The ambulance service model, exchange of experience in the
fields of education and health, e-government, and cooperation in
other areas have expanded the opportunities for Azerbaijan to share
practical experience with international partners," Rafiyev
noted.
The deputy minister said that the effectiveness of development
cooperation cannot be measured only by the volume of allocated
resources. Respect for national priorities and local needs,
ensuring national ownership, transparency, accountability,
coordination, strengthening institutional and human capacity, as
well as the sustainability of the results achieved are the main
conditions for effective cooperation.
He noted that in the coming period, the global development
agenda will continue to face new challenges.
"The scale and complexity of these challenges will require
stronger international solidarity, broader partnerships, and more
flexible and inclusive development cooperation," said Rafiyev.
According to him, the 15th anniversary of AIDA is an important
opportunity to consider new directions for future cooperation.
"Building on the experience gained in the upcoming stage,
building new partnerships, improving cooperation mechanisms, and
expanding our practical contribution to the global development
agenda will remain our main priorities," the deputy minister
emphasized.
Besides, Rafiyev noted the signing of a Memorandum of
Understanding between Azerbaijan and the Turkish Cooperation and
Coordination Agency - TIKA within the framework of the
conference.
"We have already witnessed the signing of the Memorandum of
Understanding with TIKA. This can be a good start for our bilateral
cooperation in third countries. It can also be exemplary in terms
of demonstrating regional solidarity in the face of emerging
challenges," he said.
At the end of his speech, the deputy minister thanked the
guests, partner countries, international and regional
organizations, experts, and colleagues participating in the
conference and officially declared the event closed.
