Social

Home page

Social

Baku hosts international conference â€œThe development of civil society and state-funded NGOs: gained experience and new opportunitiesâ€

25 November 2010 09:15 (UTC +04:00)

The conference was organized by the Council of State Support to Non-Governmental Organizations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. According to APA, in his opening speech, chairman of the Council Azay Guliyev said sustainable development of civil society in Azerbaijan gave an impetus to extension of NGO activity. Speaking about the measures taken by the government to develop NGOs, Guliyev said they need to adopt Baku declaration in the conference.

Deputy PM, chairman of the State Commission on International Humanitarian Aid Ali Hasanov also addressed the conference. He said national traditions and peopleâ€™s psychology should be taken into account in the development of civil society. The deputy PM said 2606 NGOs have been registered in Azerbaijan today and few years ago 95 percent of staff members of the international organizations in Azerbaijan were foreigners and now most of them are Azerbaijanis. Hasanov said there were non-independent NGOs in the world: â€œIf NGO is funded by any donor organization, it becomes dependent. We have to form independent NGOs in Azerbaijanâ€.

USAID Azerbaijan Country Coordinator Keith Simmons, Counterpart International Vice President Arlene Lear, Head of the OSCE Office in Baku Ali Bilge Cankorel, the Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation CEO Farda Asadov also addressed the conference.

Participants of the conference continue their work in panel sessions. The conference will be finalized on Friday with adoption of Baku Declaration.