A discussion was held within the "Environmental Issues" Working Group regarding the implementation of the measures outlined in the "Social and Economic Development Strategy of the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2022-2026" for the first half of 2024.

At the meeting, hosted by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, Umayra Taghiyeva, the Chair of the Working Group and Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, provided an overview of the measures and projects carried out during the first half of 2024 under the Strategy. The Deputy Minister emphasized that, in a country with a rapidly growing economy, an essential goal of the Strategy is to ensure a high-quality environment that adapts to global climate changes and supports a healthy living environment for the population. She underscored the importance of recognizing the ongoing challenges and taking coordinated actions to address them, in addition to acknowledging the achievements made within the Strategy's framework.

Ayaz Museyibov, Deputy Executive Director of the Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms  and Communication (CAERC), provided detailed information on the tasks completed and those still pending during the reporting period. He stressed that enhancing communication among the institutions involved in the working group, particularly concerning the implementation of legislative acts and infrastructure projects, will improve the efficiency of the implementation process.

Elshan Yusifli, Head of the Monitoring of sectoral programs sector of the Monitoring and Evaluation Department at CAERC, presented the report for the first half of 2024 and engaged in discussions with the member institutions regarding challenges and proposals.

In addition to the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and CAERC, the "Environmental Issues" Working Group includes representatives from the Ministries of Economy, Finance, Science and Education, Agriculture, Emergency Situations, Digital Development and Transport, and Energy, as well as the State Statistics Committee, the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations, the State Tourism Agency, the State Water Resources Agency, "Melioration and Water Management" OJSC, the Food Safety Agency, the State Agency for Mandatory Health Insurance, TABIB, ANAS, "Tamiz Shahar" OJSC, the State Oil Company (SOCAR), and AZAL.

It should be noted that the Decree of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan, dated June 12, 2023, was issued to ensure the full, timely, and effective implementation of the measures outlined in the "2022-2026 Socio-Economic Development Strategy of the Republic of Azerbaijan" and to coordinate the activities of relevant state bodies. For this purpose, eight working groups were established.