World Bank official says further investment needs to improve education, health & social protection in Azerbaijan

The Human Capital Review is aimed to support the implementation of the Azerbaijani Government’s National Priorities 2020 and the Socio-Economic Development Strategy 2022-2026 by assessing the state of key capital endowments and challenges in the country, identifying priority human capital outcomes that can be strengthened and offering country-specific policy options to improve the mentioned outcomes.

Reporting from the scene, Azernews informs that representatives of the Azerbaijani government, development partners, civil society, and media representatives attended the event. Moreover, World Bank Director for human development in Europe and Central Asia Fadia Saadah, who is on an official visit to Azerbaijan, and EU Ambassador Peter Mikhalko gave speeches at the event.

Speaking at the event, World Bank Country Manager for Azerbaijan Sarah Michael gave an outline of the human capital index, which measures the expected productivity of the next generation of workers based on their education and health outcomes.

According to her, based on the report, the human capital index in Azerbaijan has increased from 50 to 58 percent from 2010 to 2020.

“Creating a dynamic and inclusive society with competitive human capital is one of the national priorities of Azerbaijan in the new national strategy. I hope the report we presented today will provide useful data and evidence to support the formulation of relevant new policy actions,” Michael stressed.

Furthermore, EU Ambassador underlined European Union’s support for Azerbaijan's human development, emphasizing the fundamental importance of investments in this sphere.

He noted that thanks to this project, it will be possible to identify priorities for future development in this area.

“Azerbaijan and the EU promote human capital development for continuous improvement of the Azerbaijani public administration and public service, the ambassador said.

Similarly, the visiting World Bank official Fadia Saadah gave a detailed presentation about human capital development and in which areas Azerbaijan has further work to do. The official noted that there are many ways for Azerbaijan to further improve the situation going forward.

“Ensuring equitable access to quality education, health, social protection, and employment services for the poorest and most vulnerable people would help set the country on track to ensure citizens and communities reach their full potential,” Saadah remarked.

At the end of the event, the presenters answered questions from the audience.