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Europe and Central Asia Dept, |
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Map courtesy of the FCO | |
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan gained independence following the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991. It is an oil-rich country and investment in the oil industry has fuelled a steady level of growth over recent years. Azerbaijan is now rated a middle-income country. However, high levels of poverty persist.
For more information about the political and economic situation in Azerbaijan
please see the
Foreign
and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Azerbaijan site.
DFID in Azerbaijan
DFID's bilateral programme in Azerbaijan ended in 2002 but we remain involved
through our support for the
Extractive
Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI). For more information on the
Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative please see theEITI
site.
Through the Global Conflict
Prevention Pool Strategy (GCPP), we are also supporting work with theThe
Consortium Initiative (CI) to help underpin the Nagorno-karabakh conflict
resolution process.
In June 2004 the European Council of Ministers endorsed the inclusion of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia in the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). The ENP Action Plan sets out the priorities for political, social and economic reform as the basis for closer integration with the European Union (EU).
DFID fully supports the inclusion of Azerbaijan in the ENP and will work with the European Commission to enhance EU engagement.
Other Donors
Since Azerbaijan joinedThe
World Bank in 1992, World Bank commitments to the country have totalled
approximately US$ 622 million for 25 operations. Activites have run in many
sectors including, infrastructure, Agriculture, the Social Sector, and Public
and Financial Sectors Reforms.
The EUTACIS
programme supports for institutional, legal and administrative reform in
Azerbaijan as well as the private sector and assistance for economic
development. European Commission (EC) grants for cooperation with Azerbaijan
from the Community budget were around €14 million during 2002-2003. DFID is a
significant contributor to this, providing about 18% of EC aid resources
overall.
The
Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP), which was established in March 2001,
funds high impact initiatives in Central Asia to support peace building and
conflict prevention activities.
Priorities include working with others to tackle 'frozen' or potential conflict in Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Moldova, reducing tensions in Central Asia and helping the Russian government develop a foreign policy of constructive engagement on matters of common concern.
The
European Commission is currently developing new instruments for delivering
assistance to the region for the 2007-13 period. This instrument should realise
the principles of aid effectiveness as agreed by the Development Assistance
Committee (DAC) members (see:DAC),
and endeavour to deliver targeted assistance which supports the strategic
priorities of the region.
Useful Links
Last updated: 4 May 2007
