Transforming Future: The Triumph of the DOST Project

Background of DOST project

The DOST project, which aims to provide transparency, efficiency and civic satisfaction, is the result of the initiative of First Vice President, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva. Agency for Sustainable and Operative Social Provision (DOST Agency) under the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population of Azerbaijan was established by the Decree of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev dated August 9, 2018 No 229.

The Statute and Structure of the Agency is approved in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan No. 387 dated December 10, 2018. The Agency started to operate on May 9, 2019 – the same day with the opening of the first DOST center.

Mission

The mission of DOST is to improve the well-being of the population, increase public care for vulnerable groups of people, implement innovative solutions to ensure this and achieve citizen satisfaction following equality, transparency and accountability.

Vision

To become a state institution delivering state social policy to the citizens in a reliable and efficient manner through transparent way.

The DOST centers provide a total of 159 services, including employment, labor relations, labor pensions and social benefits, grants of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, disability, social insurance and social services, as well as functional support services such as banking and notary

Areas that will be beneficial for the following:

1. Children and young people
2. Children at risk of social exclusion
3. Homeless
4. Older people
5. People with physical disabilities
6. People with mental disabilities
7. Social justice
8. People who are socially vulnerable
9. People in situations of difficulty
10. Victims of domestic abuse
11. Social Integration
12. Beneficiaries of minimum income
13. Poverty
14. Recipients of care
15. Foster care
16. Mediation
17. Labor relations
18. Labor pensions and social benefits
19. Targeted state social assistance
20. Social insurance

Services and Responsibilities

1. Providing social services
2. Transformation of care models
3. Promotion of systemic change
4. Integration of technological tools
5. Capacity building and training
6. Professional training
7. Training of social welfare workforce
8. Research and development
9. Conducting inspections
10. Maintaining networks for managers and social workers
11. Home care services for the elderly and dependent people
12. Child protection
13. Social insurance
14. Fostering cooperation with non-governmental organisations and the promotion of social volunteering.
15. Research/ identifying and monitoring of social problems

Dynamic aspect of the DOST service

This project involved elderly people creating training videos for young people so that they could pass on their wisdom

Training videos varied from knitting, cooking and tailoring to history, career development and motivation. These trainings built a bridge between the two generations, giving the older generation a greater sense of purpose, while also benefiting enormously from the project’s social aspect.

DOST Agency Projects

Collaboration with UNFPA

Collaboration of UNFPA and Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population of Azerbaijan on the “Building society for all ages: promoting wellbeing of the elderly persons in Azerbaijan through active ageing” was implemented by DOST Agency.

Component activities are based on the further involvement of aged people in new social initiatives and organization of new social services:

1. To provide counseling services for elderly people regarding all areas of social protection/social security, educate and empower older persons in the effective use of new technologies; ensure they have the most current, reliable and unbiased information available on long-term care options and services;
2. To benefit from elderlies’ advisory and consultancy services based on their institutional and intellectual memories.

As a result of project activities, more than 19,000 audience covered, 46 aged persons shared their experiences with youth in the interactive way (video tutorials, webinars) and 1000 young participants were certified, 1050 elderly persons were provided with the home-based ITC trainings and more than 100 aged people joined to the leisure time organization events. Moreover, a number of electronic and printed training and information products were produced within the project.

Collaboration with UNDP

The first “Inclusive Art School” in Azerbaijan was established within the joint project of UNDP Azerbaijan and Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the “Addressing rights and well-being of women with disabilities and veterans of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict” in the premises of the 4th Baku DOST Center. The project aims to support the Government efforts to fulfil the rights, evaluate the dignity, ensure inclusiveness and accessibility with specific focus on disabled women and war veterans of Nagorno-Karabakh war, through the series of interrelated activities. To ensure sustainability of project, DOST center provided PR and organizational assistance, mobilized volunteers in the school activities, and contributed with technical and utility support.

MoU with ADA University

In order to establish mutually beneficial relations, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the institutions on 21.01.2021. Based on the signed document, training and teaching, practice, research, international recognition and implementation of joint projects are carried out in order to contribute to the development of relations between the public sector and the University using the existing infrastructure and expert base of the University and the Agency.

Cooperation with ILO

Cooperation between local representatives and foreign experts of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and DOST Agency began in September 2020, and joint participation in various meetings and events was carried out. Currently, ILO and DOST Agency are discussing in DOST services’ peer-review and mediation issue.

Conclusion: Well the DOST project is very helpful for Azerbaijan’s people with broader benefits such as lifetime benefits for civil servants, disability benefits for persons with disabilities older than 18 years, benefit for low-income families with children under 1 year of age, benefit for women with more than five children, benefit for an adopted child, including a disabled child under the age of 18 etc. It is an ongoing project that will lead to brighter and better future for the Azerbaijan’s people.

The success of Dost project  credit goes to the Government of Azerbaijan and especially to the President Ilham Aliyev and First VP of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva.

Note: This article has been produced with the help of the https://dost.gov.az/en/

Mr. Muhammad Ali Pasha Analyst and Expert on Central Asia, South East Asia, China, Türkiye and Middle East. Furthermore, he is a writer and poet.