Established in 2002 with the support of the United Nations Development Programme / UNDP/, the Public Defender (Ombudsman) office in Azerbaijan is creating three regional Units in the districts of Sheki, Calilabad and Guba.

The official opening ceremony of the first pilot Regional Units, financially supported by UNDP, will take place in Sheki, Calilabad and Guba on 29, 30 July and 1 August respectively.

Since the establishment of the Ombudsman office in 2002, UNDP, through a special project, has assisted the Office with financial support for experts, training, equipment and public awareness campaigns.

The second phase of the project launched in 2003 is envisaging further direct technical support to the Public Defender (Ombudsman) office in Azerbaijan building up on the achievements within the initial stage of assistance completed in 2002. In particular, UNDP is supporting the Ombudsman office to develop an office strategy, training staff and create sub-offices in the regions.