The chairmanship of the Advisory Council has been transferred from Uzbekistan to Azerbaijan.

The 39th meeting of the Advisory Council of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) on Labour, Employment and Social Protection of the Population has commenced in Baku.

Addressing the meeting, Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Population Anar Aliyev stated that, in addition to facilitating the exchange of existing practices, the activities of the CIS Advisory Council on Labour, Employment and Social Protection of the Population are important for discussing future directions in the development of labour and socio-economic policies, developing innovative approaches, and identifying opportunities for practical cooperation.

He provided information on the reforms implemented in Azerbaijan in recent years in the fields of labour, employment, and social protection under the leadership of President Mr. Ilham Aliyev. The Minister noted that five social reform packages covering 4 million people had been implemented in Azerbaijan between 2018 and 2026, with an additional 8 billion manats, equivalent to USD 4.7 billion, allocated annually for these reforms. He also highlighted that preparations had already begun for the implementation of the sixth social reform package next year.

It was noted that, compared with the annual figures for the previous period, the coverage of active employment measures implemented by employment agencies had doubled. In particular, the number of people placed in jobs had increased 3.6-fold, the number of people involved in the self-employment programme had risen 2.7-fold, the number of people enrolled in vocational training had increased 7.1-fold, and the number of people receiving career guidance services had grown threefold. In addition, the average monthly unemployment insurance payment had increased 1.4-fold.

It was further reported that, over the period in question, the number of employment contracts had increased by 44%, the minimum wage had risen 3.1-fold, the average monthly wage had increased 2.1-fold, and the wage fund had grown 3.4-fold. The minimum and average monthly pensions had increased approximately threefold, social allowance and benefit payments had risen fivefold, and the average monthly amount of targeted state social assistance had increased 2.5-fold.

The steps taken to improve legislation in the fields of labour and social protection were highlighted, along with the transition of the digitalisation process in these areas to a broader stage of digital transformation.

It was emphasised that the DOST Agency and DOST centres had been established on the initiative of First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva. The DOST centres enable public social services to be delivered through a “single window” in a transparent, efficient manner tailored to citizen satisfaction. It was also noted that more than 90% of the Ministry’s services had been digitalised and that the social reforms implemented in Azerbaijan in recent years had received more than 300 international awards and certificates, including the United Nations Public Service Award.

Minister Anar Aliyev expressed confidence that the discussions and exchange of views to be held at the current meeting of the CIS Advisory Council on Labour, Employment and Social Protection of the Population would make an important contribution to the further development of its activities.

Olga Kremskaya, Deputy Head of the Secretariat of the Advisory Council and Adviser to the Department for Cooperation in Political, Humanitarian and Social Spheres of the CIS Executive Committee, delivered the opening address on behalf of Nurlan Seitimov, Deputy Secretary General of the CIS.

The chairmanship of the Advisory Council was transferred from the Republic of Uzbekistan to the Republic of Azerbaijan. Marat Jurayev, First Deputy Minister of Employment and Poverty Reduction of Uzbekistan, provided information on the results achieved during his country’s chairmanship of the Council and on the implementation of the decisions adopted at the Council’s 38th meeting.

On behalf of CIS Secretary General Sergey Lebedev, representatives of Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction were presented with awards in recognition of Uzbekistan’s contribution to cooperation in the fields of labour and social affairs across the CIS during its chairmanship of the Advisory Council.

Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Protection of Population of the Republic of Azerbaijan Rashad Mustafayev; Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Protection of Republic of Belarus Marina Artemenko; Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Protection of Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan Bakhtiyar Jazikpayev; Deputy Minister of Labour, Social Security and Migration of the Kyrgyz Republic Aida Isatbek kyzy; First Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Russian Federation Olga Batalina; First Deputy Minister of Labour, Migration and Employment of Population of the Republic of Tajikistan Nasim Karimzada; Head of the International Relations Department of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population of Turkmenistan Gurban Gurbanov; and First Deputy Minister of Employment and Poverty Reduction of the Republic of Uzbekistan Marat Jurayev delivered speeches on the current situation in the social and labour sectors in their respective countries and the measures being implemented in these fields.

The meeting also featured information on the development of digital services in the fields of labour, employment, and social protection in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

Presentations were delivered and discussions held on topics including “Preparation of Measures in Connection with the Declaration of 2028 as the Year of Social Development and Quality of Life in the CIS”, “Implementation of the Prospective Development Plan for CIS Model Legislative Activities for 2023–2025”, “Statistical Measurement of Employment on Digital Platforms: Experience of CIS Countries”, “Basic Organisation of CIS Member States for Methodological, Organisational and Technical Support in Establishing Labour Standards”, and “Improving the Social Partnership System in CIS Member States”, among other issues.