On October 25, the Baku Forum on "Strengthening regional partnership in the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals" started its work.

High-ranking representatives of European and CIS countries, ombudsmen, representatives of the UN, international financial institutions, civil society and the private sector are participating in the event, which is jointly organized by the National Coordinating Council for Sustainable Development of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Economy and the country representation of the United Nations.

First, a video on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in Azerbaijan was shown.

Speaking at the forum, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the National Coordinating Council for Sustainable Development Ali Ahmadov emphasized that the 6th Humanitarian Baku Forum was held today in Baku with the participation of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and high-ranking officials of a number of countries. It was stated that the holding of these prestigious events in Baku is an indicator of Azerbaijan's attention to this field. Ali Ahmadov shared his views on the goals arising from the "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" and the work done by Azerbaijan in the direction of achieving the SDGs. He noted that SDGs are taken into account in state programs and other measures implemented in our country. It was reported that the level of poverty in Azerbaijan has significantly decreased over the past years, more than 2 million new jobs have been opened in the last 15 years, and the face of the capital Baku and the country's regions has completely changed in accordance with the achieved socio-economic development.

Noting the importance of solving the problem of refugees and internally displaced people in the world and its importance in achieving the SDGs, Ali Ahmadov reminded that Azerbaijan is one of the countries facing the problem of refugees and internally displaced persons, that our compatriots were displaced from their homes as a result of the occupation of our lands by Armenia, and the improvement of the living conditions of the refugees He stressed that the government of Azerbaijan is doing systematic work for the refugees, and the issue of the return of refugees to their native land has not yet been resolved.

Ghulam Ishaqzai, Resident Coordinator of the UN in Azerbaijan, expressed his views on measures to be taken to achieve the SDGs and cooperation with Azerbaijan in this field. It was stated that the preparation of national road maps for the realization of the SDGs by 2030 and wider coordination of activities between various institutions are important in terms of achieving these goals. Emphasizing that our country has taken serious steps towards the implementation of the SDGs, Ghulam Ishaqzai expressed his satisfaction with the cooperation with the Azerbaijani government in this field, and pointed out that Azerbaijan was one of the first countries to submit a Voluntary National Report in this field in 2017. It was noted that the Baku Forum on Sustainable Development Goals will be an important platform for discussing the SDGs and achieving the goals arising from the "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development".

President of the UN Economic and Social Council Inga Rhonda King in her speech noted the importance of continuing the measures towards the realization of the SDGs and emphasized the importance of global cooperation in this regard.

Deputy Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic Richard Rashi, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Belarus Marianna Shyotkina, Advisor to the UN Secretary General Rashid Khalikov, Deputy Director of the European and CIS Regional Office of the United Nations Development Program Rastislav Vrbenski, the UN Secretary General who joined the event via video link. deputy Olga Algayerova and Director General of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom in their speeches informed about the work done in the direction of achieving the SDGs, drew attention to the need to strengthen cooperation for the implementation of the SDGs, positively assessed the work done by Azerbaijan in this field and noted the importance of the Baku Forum.

Then there was a presentation of the young ambassadors selected for the SDGs, and certificates were presented to them.

The forum continued with a session on "Promoting sustainable, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and effective employment and decent work opportunities for all". At the session, Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population Sahil Babayev, Chairman of the Economic Policy, Industry and Entrepreneurship Committee of the Milli Majlis, Academician Ziyad Samadzade, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Azerbaijan Mikhail Bocharnikov, Representative of Ernst and Young International Audit Company Ricardo Giovannini, UNDP/ILO Vesna Bisheva, Regional Employment Adviser, Vugar Bayramov, Director of the Center for Economic and Social Development and others shared their views on the topic, and the economic, social and other fields of the SDG