“Azerbaijan 2020: Look into the Future” Development Concept.

The Azerbaijan 2020 is a national policy with a multi-sectoral approach. The overall objective of the policy is to achieve sustainable economic growth and high social welfare, effective state management and supremacy of the law, the full ensuring of all human rights and freedoms and the active status of the civil society in the country’s public life.
Food security will be ensured through increased production and processing of agricultural products.
Environmental protection will be ensured in line with the international and European standards with special emphasis on biodiversity conservation, coastal zone management, waste management, pollution control, disaster risk management, and soil conservation.
The capacities of rural population will be enhanced through advanced international experience in the agriculture sector. In addition equipment, fertilizers, seeds and seedlings will be provided to peasants to enable their participation in agricultural production. Equal opportunities for women and men will be created in the labour market and the role of women will be strengthened. All social and public services required in the daily lives of citizens such as communications, Internet, banking services, public utilities, health and education services will be provided to all, even to the most remote villages. National policies on improvement maternal and infant health, preventive examinations, and the early prevention and treatment of childhood disability will be developed. Education system will be developed and modernized in accordance with the best international practice. Social security system will be improved by developing national policies.
In order to make Azerbaijan an economically and politically developed and competitive country, highly effective economic system will be formed to have enough competitive power on a global scale. Effective use of the existing economic, social and political resources will be ensured by developing the energy, transport, transit and logistical infrastructure, and by fulfilling development at national and regional level. The mechanism of using oil and gas reserves will be improved by modernization of the systems for the extraction, transportation and refining of oil and gas. A complex consisting of oil and gas refineries and petrochemical factories will be established to make it possible to attract the necessary investments, observe environmental rules, establish a production chain up to the manufacture of the end product, increase the competitiveness of finished products and increase export in this field. Moreover in order to develop non-oil industry the involvement of the country’s natural and economic resources in the economic turnover will expand and the efficiency of their use will increase. The creation of new competitive spheres in the non-oil industry will be supported. The agrarian sector will be developed to increase the productive capability of existing agrarian-processing enterprises through the application of modern technologies and financing. Furthermore the production of eco-friendly agricultural and food products in the country will be stimulated. The land market in the country will be developed and farmers will be encouraged to join farming traditions on a voluntary basis. Melioration and irrigation measures will be strengthened, and measures will be intensified to prevent soil erosion and the salination of irrigated sowing areas and to increase fertility. The provision of agricultural producers with modern equipment, fertilizers, seeds and seedlings will be improved. In the agrarian sphere, it is planned to improve scientific support and staff training in the agrarian sector. In order to increase entrepreneurs’ skills and knowledge the scope of information and advisory services will be expanded, and cooperation with international organizations in the fields of veterinary and phytosanitary will be developed. The restoration and protection of immovable historical and cultural monuments, improvement of activities of historical and cultural reserves and its development will be ensured. State regulation in market relations will be established to maintain macroeconomic stability, improve the business environment in the country, ensure free competition, create favourable conditions for local and foreign investments, implement regulatory measures to improve the structure of the economy, implement investment and large-scale infrastructure projects and effectively organize the social protection of the population. Monopolies in the economy and especially on the consumer market will be restricted to form a fair competitive environment. The protection of consumers’ rights will be improved, effective mechanisms to control the quality of products will be created, national standards of quality control will be prepared and the system of certification will be improved. Measures will be taken to simplify and enhance foreign trade procedures and increase state support for entrepreneurs in increasing their competitiveness in foreign markets. Long-term sustainable economic development will be ensured by forming a knowledge-based economy through increased scientific potential and innovative activity.