Image
In Azerbaijan, two main developments were launched that potentially can support citizen participation:
- Center for Citizens` Receptions. On March 28, President Aliyev launched a Center for Citizens’ Reception in Baku, where citizens can send their concerns directly or through email via the president.az website. It is expected that the Center will cover the whole country and include, among others, the issues of pardon, assistance to war victims and veterans, complaints against court and law-enforcement bodies, issues in the health sphere, land documentation, etc.
- New online portal for services of ExComs - executive bodies in the regions. Recently the Government launched the https://rih.gov.az/ website, which is a unified platform for Digital Services of ExComs to the population. Citizens can use this portal for a number of services provided by ExComs, including registration of citizens who have no living space, obtaining opinion on patronage over minors, permission to change a child’s name or surname, appeal for farmers to get subsidies, or obtaining construction permits. The platform also provides an option for e-participation for citizens in the decision-making processes of ExComs.
In addition, a new Anticorruption National Action Plan (NAP) 2022-2026 was approved by President Aliyev to strengthen the fight against corruption. The plan will further increase the transparency of government agencies, prevent corruption, strengthen public oversight of government agencies, further improve and digitalise the services provided by government agencies to the population, as well as ensure the sustainability of anti-corruption measures. The document covers 6 priorities:
- Improving legislation.
- Measures on preventing corruption and strengthening transparency (Increasing salaries, developing rules for formation of Judicial-Legal Council, enforcing e-court system, facilitating public oversight, providing new online services, empowering digital platform for ExComs’ services to population, increasing control of state procurement and monitoring of funding, creating unified portal for income and expenditure of municipalities, preparation of annual corruption risks reports by state bodies, etc.);
- Ensuring financial transparency and measures on AML/TF (Establishing e-accounting portal, continue with enforcing FATF standards, etc.);
- Measures on improving state services and administration mechanisms (Series of measures on digitalization of services, simplification of obtaining ASAN signature, involving CSOs and Public Councils in conducting customer satisfaction surveys, etc.);
- Cooperation with CSOs and developing international cooperation (Conducting joint activities; increasing effectiveness of Public Councils, continuing measures on implementation of recommendations of GRECO and OECD, etc.);
- Awareness raising on fight against corruption (Conducting training for civil servants on fight against corruption and ethics, training of municipalities, measures on increasing digital literacy of rural population, holding public discussions, etc.