Today the "Opportunities and Prospects of Cooperation with the UN ECOSOC" event, organized by the International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF) on the initiative of the Council on State Support to NGOs under the Auspices of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan was held at the IEPF office.
The event aimed at discussion of possibilities to strengthen the relations of local NGOs with the UN Agencies, ECOSOC membership, support and promotion of the SDGs with an assistance of the IEPF.
After welcoming speech, the President of the International Eurasia Press Fund Umud Mirzayev said that his organization is the only NGO in General Consultative Status with the UN ECOSOC in the region. IEPF was established in 1992. Since that time, IEPF has spread its international ties, found new partners, and implemented a number of socio-humanitarian projects.
As a result of its successful activity the International Eurasia Press Fund got a General Consultative Status with the UN ECOSOC in 2014. Consultative status is granted by the UN ECOSOC upon recommendation of the ECOSOC Committee on NGOs, which is comprised of 19 Member States including US, China and Russia.
Genera Consultative Status, the highest level, which may be granted to organizations that are concerned with most of the activities of the Council, that are making substantive and sustained contributions in many fields, with a considerable membership, and that are broadly representative of major segments of society in a large number of countries. These organizations are entitled to deliver oral presentations during the Council's meetings.
Therefore, this status gives an opportunity to the IEPF to hold international events, organize parallel events in the UN Headquarters, deliver written statements and participate in the UN sessions.
IEPF continues to promote the aims and priorities of the UN ECOSOC in Azerbaijan and in other Post-Soviet countries.
In the world, only 136 NGOs from 31,000 organizations cooperating with the UN have General Consultative Status with the UN ECOSOC status. According to Umud Mirzayev the number of Azerbaijani NGOs can increase in the General Status list of UN ECOSOC.
Only hard work allows to get the General Staus and IEPF is ready to share its own experience with other NGOs.
During the event, held in the IEPF office, the video on effective cooperation and membership with the UN ECOSOC from the Officer-In-Charge of the Non-Governmental Organizations Branch of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs Marc-Andre Dorel, translated by the IEPF specially for the event was presented to the various NGOs representatives. IEPF Vice President Ramil Azizov and IEPF President Assistant Anastasia Lavrina made a presentation on the terms and conditions of the UN ECOSOC membership.
Representative from the the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gurban Abbasli talked about the importance of the event and expressed his gratitudes to the IEPF President Umud Mirzayev and to the Council on State Support to NGOs under the Auspices of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. He mentioned that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan is interested in development the activity of the Azerbaijani NGOs.
National Information Officer from the UN Office in Azerbaijan Rashad Huseynov appraised the cooperation of Azerbaijani civil society representatives with the UN Agencies. He said that UN Baku Office is ready to support Azerbaijani NGOs in their cooperation with the UN ECOSOC.
The panel discussions kicked off the event.