FM: AZERBAIJAN IS MAKING GOOD PROGRESS IN REDUCING POVERTY
Baku, September 21 (AZERTAC). Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has praised Azerbaijan`s achievements in reducing poverty.
Speaking to the High Level Plenary Meeting on the Millennium Development Goals held at UN headquarters in New York.
The foreign minister said Azerbaijan`s economic growth was helping it to achieve the MDGs, despite the problems created by Armenia`s occupation of Azerbaijani lands and the continuing problem of over a million refugees and IDPs.
"Azerbaijan has seen a considerable increase oil revenues, which means we will have the resources to finance much of the public investment so that the country achieves the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. Available financial resources have provided ample opportunities to fund policy measures aimed at poverty reduction and achievement of other MDGs."
Mammadyarov said tackling unemployment was among key priorities for the Azerbaijani government.
"The government has launched the State Program on the Implementation of Employment Strategy and reduced the unemployment rate from 7.06 percent in 2005 to 6 percent in 2009."
On the second MDG of achieving universal primary education, Mammadyarov said that Azerbaijan`s education reform strategy for 2003-2013, supported by the World Bank, focused on reforming general compulsory education.
“An Action Plan was adopted last year to address the special needs of disadvantaged and vulnerable children, promote children`s rights and encourage their talents.”
On the third MDG on gender equality and empowerment, Mammadyarov said that Azerbaijan had established the State Committee on Family, Woman and Child Affairs and "laid a firm legal and institutional foundation to ensure gender equality, secondary and higher education for women, equality in salaries and wide involvement of women in the decision-making process".
On child and maternal mortality, MDGs 4 and 5, the minister said: "Sustainable progress in this regard will depend on reduction in income poverty, and further improvements in the access and quality of health services through Primary Health Care Reform."
He said that Azerbaijan was committed to halve child and maternal mortality by 2015 and that state programs on maternal health, reproductive health and social and economic development in the regions had helped to reduce the child mortality rate to 3.1% in the last five years.
On MDG 6, concerning HIV/AIDS malaria and other diseases, Mammadyarov said that Azerbaijan had managed to contain the spread of HIV/AIDS and malaria, and had succeeded in improving the prevention and cure of TB.
On the final MDG, a global partnership for development, Mammadyarov pledged Azerbaijan`s commitment to development goals and global cooperation.
He cited major infrastructure projects and planned projects as evidence of this commitment.
"We have successfully launched and implemented several regional infrastructure projects that made a significant contribution to the development of some neighboring countries," the minister said.
"Taking into consideration that the ICT is considered as an important instrument in fostering economic growth and competitiveness and in contributing to poverty eradication and social inclusion, the government of Azerbaijan has put forward the initiative to jointly build and manage the Trans-Eurasian Information Super Highway, which is expected to facilitate supplying the countries of the region with Internet, telecommunication systems, e-information resources and e-economies."
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