GOVERNMENT AND CIVIL SOCIETY DISCUSS ACCESS TO TARGETED SOCIAL AID

Posted by: admin | Posted on: Апрель 23, 2013

On June 21, 2011, the non-governmental organization Transparency Azerbaijan, with support from US Agency for International Development (USAID), organized a roundtable to discuss problems and solutions to increase access to targeted social aid. The roundtable is one in a series organized by Transparency Azerbaijan to facilitate dialogue between the government institutions and NGOs on ways to increase transparency and accountability. Participants of the roundtable, included the representatives of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as representatives of the State Anti-Corruption Commission, Anti-Corruption Department under the Prosecutor’s Office, local and international NGOs.Government efforts to improve the allocation of targeted social aid and to reduce corruption in this area of service have included improved and increasingly transparent appeal mechanisms, and penalties for officials involved in corrupt practices, among others.
Roundtable participants identified and discussed current deficiencies in efforts to minimize opportunities for corrupt practices in distribution of targeted social aid, and also to explore ways to increase transparency and accountability in this area.During the event Elnur Sultanov, Head of the Department of Social Security Policy of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population, spoke about the distribution of targeted social aid in Azerbaijan. Sahib Mammadov, Chairman of the Citizens Labor Rights Protection League, talked about factors allowing corrupt practices in distribution of targeted social aid. Vasif Movsumov, Executive Director of the Fund for the Fight Against Corruption, discussed existing problems in organizing public monitoring of distribution of targeted social aid and review of complaints. Alimamed Nuriyev, president of the Constitution Research Fund and coordinator of Information and Cooperation Network of Anti-corruption NGOs offered his analysis if the legislation regulating distribution of targeted social aidş Rena Safaralieva, Executive Director of Transparency Azerbaijan made general recommendations to improve transparency in distribution of targeted social aid to the population.The participants praised the value in this exchange of views between government and civil society. Participants at the roundtable decided to compile all the recommendations, suggestions from civil society organizations on the improvement of transparency and accountability in the area of provision of target social aid and submit it in writing for the Ministry’s review.