Azerbaijan's NGO Support Agency Expands Global Reach Amid Funding Growth

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 18.​ The Agency for State Support to Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) of Azerbaijan has evaluated 3,965 project proposals submitted by local NGOs for grant competitions, approving and funding 2,214 of them, said the Executive Director, Aygun Aliyeva, Trend reports.

Speaking at a press conference dedicated to the agency's fourth anniversary, Aliyeva noted that over the past four years, Azerbaijani NGOs supported by the Agency have taken part in international events on 80 occasions and have organized conferences across 36 countries.

In total, 22 million manat ($12.9 million) have been allocated to support Azerbaijani NGO initiatives over the past four years.

The Executive Director also highlighted that the Agency, in line with the decrees and orders of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, achieved an instruction implementation rate of 76 percent in 2022, 87.5 percent in 2023, and 97.3 percent in 2024. She noted that the number of directives under the Agency's responsibility, within the framework of State Programs and National Action Plans, increased fourfold in 2024 compared to 2022.

Aygun Aliyeva further emphasized that the most recent grant competition marked a record high in NGO participation, with the Agency reviewing a total of 915 project applications.

"The quality of projects has improved significantly over the past two years, and in 2023, the establishment of new rules for the Agency's grant competitions and the introduction of new electronic services created a breakthrough in this area.

Since 2023, the institution has launched an electronic services portal to increase transparency, accountability, and efficiency in its activities, as well as to enhance the quality and accessibility of services provided to NGOs," she added.

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