On May 15, an event on "The role of private companies in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals" was held under the joint organization of the National Coordinating Council for Sustainable Development of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Economy and the United Nations Development Program Representation in Azerbaijan.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the National Coordinating Council for Sustainable Development Ali Ahmadov informed about the goals arising from the "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" and the work done by Azerbaijan in the direction of achieving the SDGs, that the National Coordinating Council for Sustainable Development was established in our country, He noted that the activities of relevant institutions are coordinated within the framework of the Council, Azerbaijan's development priorities are aligned with SDGs, and SDGs are taken into account in state programs and other documents implemented in our country. The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized the importance of public-private cooperation in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and educational measures in this field, and said that Azerbaijan will be the first country in the region to submit the Second Voluntary National Report of Azerbaijan to the UN High-Level Political Forum.

Alessandro Frakassetti, acting resident representative of the United Nations Development Program, shared his views on measures to be taken to achieve the SDGs and cooperation with Azerbaijan in this field. Emphasizing that our country has taken serious steps towards the implementation of the SDGs, Alessandro Fracassetti expressed his satisfaction with the cooperation with the Government of Azerbaijan in this field, and pointed out that Azerbaijan was one of the first countries to submit the Voluntary National Report in 2017.

Huseyn Huseynov, head of the Department of Sustainable Development and Social Policy of the Ministry of Economy, made a presentation on "Adaptation of SDG's global goals, targets and indicators to national priorities and the role of the private sector in SDGs".

In the "Sustainable Development Goals and private sector" panel discussion, the Deputy Minister of Economy Sahib Mammadov informed about the measures implemented in the direction of the development of the country's economy under the leadership of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the economic reforms carried out. Emphasizing that the development of entrepreneurship, continuous improvement of the business and investment environment is one of the priority directions of the socio-economic development strategy implemented in our country, Sahib Mammadov emphasized that radical reforms have been carried out recently. He noted that it reached 76%. All these are important from the point of view of effective implementation of SDG. Multifaceted state support measures to the private sector contribute to achieving the set goals by further developing public-private sector relations. Sahib Mammadov noted that the achieved achievements were highly appreciated by international organizations. Thus, in the "Doing Business 2019" report prepared by the World Bank, Azerbaijan was included in the list of the 10 most reforming countries in the world and was declared the country that carried out the most reforms. In the report, the position of Azerbaijan advanced by 32 places to the 25th place among 190 countries, and to the leading position among the CIS countries.

President of the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organizations, Mammad Musayev, who spoke at the panel, "Ernst & Young Holdings (SiAyEs) Bi.Vi." Gunel Farajova, head of Azerbaijan and Georgia of the company, Aliya Azimova, head of the International Finance Corporation's representative office in Azerbaijan, and Sakina Babayeva, chairwoman of the "Association for the Development of Women's Entrepreneurship in Azerbaijan" Public Union, spoke about the role of the private sector in the effective implementation of SDGs.

At the panel meeting, views were exchanged on the strengthening of public-private partnership and the contribution of entrepreneurship in this field in order to achieve the SDGs.