Azerbaijan

Public support for refugees and internally displaced persons

As the economic and political power of the Republic of Azerbaijan increases the state began to pay more attention on the most difficult problem once concerning the refugees and displaced persons. Thus, if the foreign humanitarian organizations played on this issue the larger role until 2003 but during  the rule of President Ilham Aliyev  Azerbaijan became a country with an economic power able to tackle now all the problems of refugees and internally displaced persons independently. During the presidency of President Ilham Aliyev one State program and two additions to it on the solution of social problems of refugees and internally displaced persons were approved, and in general 45 decrees and orders were signed, the Cabinet of Ministers had adopted  141 decisions and resolutions and the Parliament  9 laws.

As early as in 1998, according to the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev "State Program on solving the problems of refugees and internally displaced persons" was approved. In 1999, according to the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, for the first time in world practice the Social Development Fund of the Internally Displaced Persons was established. With decree No. 298 of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, dated July 1, 2004, “The State Program on improving the living conditions of refugees and internally displaced persons and the increase of employment" was approved. Namely this Program and a wide range of measures provided in this program, once again prove consistent state care for refugees and displaced persons in the country. 

It was aimed in the State Program to improve living conditions of a total 22921 families - 110 thousand IDPs, as well as moving of the 21354 families in new settlements and repair of public buildings where 1567 families live in temporary basis, creation of 30 thousand work places (25 thousand of them in construction, 5 thousand in the new workshops). In the past 3 years liquidation of the tent camps has been the issue of priority of the state.

In accordance with Order No 80 of the President of Azerbaijan Republic dated February 4, 2004 and the new State Program the customer organization the Social Development Fund completed construction of 12 settlements in Aghdam region and 1 in Agjabedi region, at the expense of the State Oil Fund of funds and moving of Internally Displaced Persons to those settlements and liquidation of 4 tent camps were provided.

The construction of the Olympic Sports Complex in Guzanly settlement of Aghdam region, the fundament of which was laid by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on March 1, 2006, was completed in 2007. In new settlements built in Agjabedi and Aghdam regions besides  3860 residential houses with the total area of 190632 square meters, as well as 15 schools, 5 kindergartens, 1 hospital, 9 medical centers, 8 clubs and community centers, 7 post offices and communication department, 11 baths, 10 administrative buildings, 1 fire post were built, 113.8 km of roads were paved, 139.2 km of water line, 43.2 km of closed irrigation system, 211.9 km of overhead electricity lines were installed and 124 artesian wells were drilled. Approximately 20 thousand people from more than 30 cities and regions have been involved in the construction works. 

In addition, houses were built for 100 families of refugees and internally displaced persons in the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic and in the Saatli region the settlement for 100 IDP families were built at the expense of "Contractors International Company" (CCIC) of Greece, which carried out the construction of Azerbaijani sector of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline.

In general, during the 2001-2009 at the expense of funds allocated from the State Oil Fund (612.9 million) and other sources (33.2 million), total  646.1 million manats, for 81,8 thousand IDP-s fo 18190 families, not settled permanently, the 63 settlements with 10168 thousand square meters and individual houses, as well as 123 schools, 4 music schools, 37 kindergartens, 45 medical institutions, 33 houses were built, 542 km roads, 645 km of water lines, 1007 km overhead electric lines, 81.5 km of gas, 33.1 km of sewer, heating lines of 1.27 kms, 11 thousand hectares of irrigation works, 537 power transformers of different capacities have been installed. As well as 1330 housed were built for refugees from Armenia in various cities and regions of republic and have been given to them in use. By the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers for IDPs accommodated in new settlements certain amount determined gratis for their engagement in agricultural works.

The funds allocated from the state budget during 1993-2009 in connection with the social protection of refugees and internally displaced persons:

1. The years 1993-2003 (240,1 million manat)

2. The years 2004-2009 (729,2 million manat)

The funds allocated from the State Oil Fund during 2001-2009 for social protection of refugees and internally displaced persons:

1. The years 2001-2003 (58,5 million manat)

2.  The years 2004-2009 (554,4 million manat)

Total funds allocated during 2004-2009 for the social protection of internally displaced persons:

1. The funds allocated from the state budget for the maintenance of internally displaced persons (729,2 million manat)

2. From the State Oil Fund (554,4 million manat)

3. from other sources (41,7 million manat)

4. From the State Oil Company (18.8 million manat)

5. The investment costs allocated from the State budget (13,347 million manat)

As a result of measures taken from 12 tent camps then available in the territory of Bilasuvar 5 were liquidated in 2003 in Bilasuvar region, and in 2006 4 camps were liquidated in the Barda and Agjabedi regions. The relevant works were carried out for liquidation of remaining 3 tent camps in Sabiradbad and Saatly regions. 

For 39 IDP-s families settled temporarily in “Garanfil” sanatorium of Baku, Sabunchu region the individual houses were built in Mehdiabad settlement of Absheron district   and they were accommodated there in October 2006.

The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended the opening ceremony and made a speech at inauguration of settlement in Ramana settlement of Sabunchu district on May 4, 2007 for 450 IDP families temporarily settled in "Zugulba" sanatorium of Azizbeyov distrust of Baku city.   

On September 4, 2007, the meeting devoted to the problems of refugees and displaced persons has been held under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, with the participation of the heads of all relevant ministries, as well as committees and the companies.  

The amount of funds allocated by the government on social security of refugees and internally displaced persons increased from year to year. Just in 2009 year 309.9 million manats were allocated for this purpose.

1747 refugees and internally displaced persons were employed in 2009,  563 were given the status of unemployed persons, 680 persons have been appointed to the unemployment benefits, 467 people were involved in vocational training courses, and 253 people in paid public works.

339.1 million (207,1 million from budget, 105 million manat from  the State Oil Fund, 27 million manat from the international humanitarian and development organizations) have been spent in 2010 for the solution of social problems of refugees and internally displaced persons. From 207.1 million manat of funds provided State budget expenditure already 202.0 million manats spent for these purposes at the current year.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev attended and have a speech on February 27, 2010, at Gabala region, at opening ceremony of two five-storey building built for 155 IDP families, on November 10, 2010 in Yevlakh region opening of the settlement  consisted of multi-storeyed buildings for  612 IDP families (10 a 5-storey buildings, the school for 440 pupils, 50-seat kindergarten, etc.), on November 11, 2010  the new settlement built near the Guzanly village in the territory of Aghdam region for 689 IDP families (for 651 families of internally displaced persons settled in Finnish homes in the region and  38 families in the school buildings of the region), in the opening ceremony of the new Olympic Sports Complex erected in Horadiz settlement of Fizuli region. The shifting of IDP-s to those buildings and apartments was provided. 

In 2010, in connection with the acceleration of socio-economic development of the city of Naftalan  3 units (2 units of 60 apartments and 1 unit of 45 apartments) of five-storey residential buildings were built in Goranboy region for 164 IDP families  and the construction of the school for 360 pupils was completed. 100 hectares of lands were allocated in administrative areas of Imishli region for building of settlement for 500 IDP families. In 2010, in Agjabedi region (for 994 IDP families settled in  Finnish houses of the region and 114 IDP families settled in school buildings, for a total of 1108 families): soil documents and technical terms have been obtained for the construction of multi-storey houses for 552 IDP families from Lachin region and  556 families from other districts).

In addition, 12 hectares of land was allotted in Masazir village of Absheron region for building of high-rise residential buildings for accommodation in them 758 internally displaced families living in 7 hostel of the Baku State University. The Social Development Fund of IDP-s has addressed to the relevant organizations for provision of new settlement with communication and engineering designs, and technical conditions were obtained.

On February 21, 2011, President of Azerbaijan Republic Ilham Aliyev has signed a new decree "On additional measures on improvement of the IDP families’ housing conditions". 

A total 7 decrees and orders were signed in 2011, the Cabinet of Ministers issued 12 decisions and orders, the Parliament adopted 1 law. In 2011 for the solution of social problems of refugees and internally displaced persons the amount of U.S. $ 500 million was spent.  295 million manats of that amount belonged to budget, 175 million to the State Oil Fund and 30 millions were funds of the international humanitarian organizations.

In 2011, 10 five-storey residential buildings for 560 internally displaced families in Agjabedi region and for 552 displaced families from Lachin region in Takhtakorpu area  of region, new settlement of 9 five-storey residential building for 525 families in Goranboy region were built, and for IDP-s lived in a very miserable condition in proximity to the Heydar Aliyev Center the construction of the building of 80 flats  was completed in Ramana settlement of Sabunchu region, as well as  apartments were built in the territory of Baku for the 406 IDP-s families from the line of the Ministry of Finance and their shifting was provided.

In connection with the execution of Resolution "On additional measures on acceleration of social development of the city of Naftalan" moving of all internally displaced families from Naftalan city to 12 five-storey buildings consisting of 690 apartments in the territory of Goranboy region was completed.  

At the same time, at the expense of investment rehabilitation of 80 houses in the territory of Harami of Fizuli, region of 24 houses for IDP-s temporarily settled in the territory canning factories in the Kazakh, as well as the construction of 52 incomplete houses belonging to the Ahiska Turks have been completed. So far, construction of 324 houses belonging to Ahıska Turks was completed and this project will be continued further. Thus, during the year the living conditions of 2120 IDP-s families - 10 600 peoples was improved.