Azerbaijan: A national capacity for mine action

The Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) has grown from a fledgling institution to one fully equipped to clear mines, provide mine risk education and assist survivors of mine accidents.

Since 1999, ANAMA has cleared nearly 186 square kilometres of land, destroying over 665,000 mines and other explosive weapons. More than 160,000 people displaced by conflict have been resettled as a result.

International day for mine awareness and assistance in mine action - Mines still a threat in the region

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia - 4 April, 2011 - "The International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action is a timely reminder that clearing land of explosive remnants of war saves lives and protects livelihoods," said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in his message on international day for mine awareness. Find out about UNDP mine action support to countries in Europe and CIS, including: Albania now free from the threat of mines, mine action in Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus and Tajikistan. Have a look at: photos from mine action in Cyprus and photos from mine action in Azerbaijan Watch: mine action videos from Albania, Azerbaijan and Cyprus Learn: more about Mine Action

Mine Action in Azerbaijan

BAKU, Azerbaijan – 4 April, 2011 – Since 1999, the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) has cleared 158,374,397 square metres of land and destroyed 650,836 mines and unexploded ordnance (UXOs). In 2011, ANAMA is expected to clear approximately 27 million square metres of land contaminated by mines and UXOs.

New Azerbaijan Center to Help Remove Landmines

Baku, Azerbaijan, May 2009-Fifty-seven people have died and 133 others maimed by mine explosions in Azerbaijan since 2001. In response, the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action plans to ramp up its landmine clearance and landmine training efforts. As a part of their de-mining activities, Azerbaijan is also partnering with the United Nations Development Programme to launch the International Centre for Mine Action. Video: De-mining in Action

Пенсионная реформа в Азербайджане: трудности и успехи

Салим Муслимов и Октай Ибрагимов                            English/Aнглийский

Апрель 2009 - Пенсионный  фонд в Азербайджане был создан как самостоятельная структура в 1991 г/ (в конце советского периода), но в то время не существовало действенного пенсионного законодательства, а у нового фонда не было ни своего помещения, ни своей внутренней политики, ни квалифицированных сотрудников, ни централизованной системы учета, а также прочих атрибутов современной пенсионной системы. В период развала Советского Союза и последовавших за ним социально-политических и экономических катаклизмов в начале 1990-х гг. были уничтожены многие архивы с кадровой документацией. Особые трудности возникали, когда требовалось установить стаж и размер заработка граждан, ранее проживавших в других советских республиках, прибывших из зон вооруженных конфликтов или работавших на уже обанкротившихся предприятиях. Многие люди не знали о существовании пенсионного фонда и отказывались платить социальные страховые взносы.  Хотя существовало несколько категорий пенсионеров, средняя пенсия имела  символические размеры  ($10-15 в месяц), а процедура ее оформления носила очень бюрократизированный характер. Обязанности по начислению и выплате пенсий  распределялись между районными отделами Государственного фонда социальной защиты (ГФСЗ) и пенсионными отделами многочисленных государственных предприятий и организаций. Информация обрабатывалась вручную, а централизованная система учета отсутствовала. В подобной ситуации увеличилась вероятность ошибок в документации, и открывались широкие возможности для различного рода злоупотреблений.

Pension reform in Azerbaijan: challenges and achievements

Salim Muslumov and Oktay Ibrahimov                       Русский/Russian

April 2009 - Azerbaijan’s pension fund as a standalone unit was established in 1991 (at the end of the Soviet period) without defined physical premises, effective national legislation, corporate policies, skilled personnel, a centralized record keeping system, and other necessary characteristics of a modern pension system. The collapse of the Soviet system along with the socio-political and economical cataclysms of the early 1990s ruined the archives in which employment records were kept. Identification of employment periods and income levels for workers who used to live in other Soviet republics, who moved from areas of conflict or worked in enterprises that went bankrupt became a real challenge. Many people were unaware of the pension fund’s existence and refused to pay social contributions. Despite the presence of a variety of different beneficiary categories, average pension benefits were of symbolic amounts ($10-15 per month), and procedures for claiming them very bureaucratic. Despite these small amounts, payment delays could reach 3-4 months. Pension administration responsibilities were split between district offices of the State Social Protection Fund (SSPF) and the pension departments of numerous state enterprises and other public institutions. Data processing was done manually, without centralized record keeping.1 All this made possibilities for fraud and error uncomfortably high.