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Azerbaijan Social Protection Development Project will soon be launched

06 March 2009 10:52 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Nijat Mustafayev â€“ APA-ECONOMICS. In a few days, it is planned to launch the implementation of the World bank-supported Social Protection Development Project for Azerbaijan, the World Bank Office in Baku said.
The project aims at improving delivery of labor market and social protection interventions through strengthened institutions and improved targeting of social safety net programs
The World Bank approved a $26.7 million credit on May 27, 2008 for the Social Protection Development Project that is estimated to cost $54.6 million in total.
According to the agreement signed in November 2008, the government will provide $27.9 million for the project.
The primary target group for the project includes job seekers, young labor market participants, and youths choosing a career path, as well as very poor households, current and future pensioners, and people with disability in need of disability certification. The project will also provide assistance to the reform of the pension system in Azerbaijan.
The Project aims to make improvements in four key areas:
Labor Market Reform. The project will help to significantly improve labor market institutions, policies and programs and strengthen capacity for labor market and employment policy formulation and implementation. It will also finance the strengthening of job search and matching services, career counseling, and training programs.
CapacityBuildingand Social Safety Net Development. The project aims to assist in the modernization of the administration in the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population (MLSPP), and will support the introduction of monitoring and evaluation systems. It will also assist in the restructuring of the Disability Certification Service and the piloting of integrated provision of the social protection programs.
Pension System Development. The project will assist the Government in assessing the fiscal sustainability of the current pension system and assist in developing a strategy to ensure it is sustainable in the future.
Project Management. This component will strengthen MLSPâ€™s and State Social Protection Fundâ€™s capacities to efficiently and effectively implement the Social Protection Development Project.