On April 19, 2024, Baku hosted an international workshop titled Mastering Communications on Difficult Regulatory Decisions, jointly organised by the Azerbaijan Energy Regulatory Agency (AERA) and the Energy Regulators Regional Association (ERRA), Azernews reports.

Dr. Samir Akhundov, Chairman of the AERA Board, in his opening speech, welcomed the event’s participants and noted that Azerbaijan hosts numerous high-level international events, pointing out that the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) will be held in Azerbaijan in November this year. Highlighting that Azerbaijan has become a unique platform for high-level meetings and conferences across various sectors, Dr. Samir Akhundov expressed his belief that today’s event will be beneficial for participants, fostering mutual discussions and the exchange of experiences.

Communications specialists from national energy regulatory agencies, along with experts from leading companies specialising in strategic communication services and research, representing Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkiye, Latvia, North Macedonia, Greece, Canada, Nigeria, Albania, Poland, Kazakhstan, Oman, Moldova, and Romania, attended the international seminar.

The interactions during the event were fostered by Question-and-Answer sessions.

The workshop, which brought together nearly 30 communications specialists from 15 countries, discussed the principles and methods of effective communication as a public institution, elaborated best practices in communicating crucial decisions that affect social welfare, and presented country-specific case studies, portraying both successful and ineffective communication campaigns and tools.

Inaugurated in Bucharest on December 11, 2000, the Energy Regulators Regional Association (ERRA) brings together 47 regulatory bodies from 43 countries to provide a knowledge- and best-practice-sharing platform on energy regulation. Since its inception, AERA has enjoyed a longstanding relationship with ERRA and was admitted as an Associate Member of the organisation in April 2018.