Civil Service Commission's website launched as part of civil service reform

Baku, 19 December 2006 - "Civil service reform is a critical point in the achievement of good governance practices in every state. A civil service needs to be efficient and motivated and to be guided by ethical principles. When a civil service is efficient, services that the population is receiving are also efficient", stressed the UN Resident Coordinator, UNDP Resident Representative in Azerbaijan Marco Borsotti in his opening remarks today at the official presentation of the UNDP's joint project with the Government of Azerbaijan on civil service reform. Representatives of the international organizations, Government and media attended the event.

Mr. Bahram Khalilov, Chairman of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, UNDP's Government counterpart in the joint project Good Governance through Civil Service Reform: Implementing Millennium Development Goal 9, dwelled on the recent history of the civil service in Azerbaijan, its achievements and challenges. According to him, the decree of the President of Azerbaijan of 19 January 2005 on the establishment of the the Civil Service Commission under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan signalled the beginning of the reforms in the civil service system. In fact, the Commission was charged with enforcement of regulations related to the civil service, competitive recruitment, professional development and social protection of civil servants. So far, the Statute of the Commission was adopted, the new premises given to the Commission and staff of the Commission recruited.

UNDP is one of the first international organizations to assist the Commission. The one-year project signed in September 2006 aims to build the capacity of the newly established Commission as a critical part of public administration reform. Thanking UNDP for vital assistance in the Commission first months' of work, Mr. Khalilov described the implementation of the project as successful. The $354,000 joint project with UNDP will help equip the Commission with modern information and communication technologies, bring international expertise and send the Commission staff to study tours to other countries with advanced civil service systems to learn from their experience.

One of the immediate plans of the project is to develop a strategy for civil service reform and establish competitive civil service exams. All these measures are meant to contribute to strengthening of good governance in the country. In fact, the Government of Azerbaijan is considering the inclusion of an additional Millennium Development Goal 9 on strengthening good governance in its new State Programme for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development (2006-2015).

The Project Manager Azer Bayramov made a presentation on the status of the project implementation. The website of the Commission www.csc.gov.az, developed in the framework of the joint project between the Commission and UNDP, was also launched at the event. It is presently available in Azerbaijani and English. The website provides general information on the background and structure of the Commission, the civil service legislation, recruitment into state structures and includes an interactive forum with general public.


For more information:
Azer Bayramov
Project Manager
Tel: 465 8793
Fax: 465 8796
Email:azer@csc.gov.az