A conference titled “The Great Return: reintegration and community-based development” was organized by the State Committee for Affairs of the Refugees and Internally Displaced People. The conference was dedicated to the results of the first phase of the project “Supporting initiatives to create sustainable communities through the participation and promotion of income-generating activities of internally displaced persons returning to their homeland” implemented within the framework of the 1st State Program on the Great Return to the liberated lands of the Republic of Azerbaijan

The moderator of the conference, Head of State Committee Employment Section, Kamran Aghamaliyev, provided with information about the project.

Fuad Huseynov, the committee’s deputy chairman, spoke extensively about the conference’s subject. One of the five national priorities of Azerbaijan’s socio-economic growth, he stated, is the Great Return to the lands freed from occupation—sustainable settlement and reintegration into economic activity. This plan should be put into action by 2030. Restoration and building work are being done in the territories that have been freed from occupation based on the special attention and tasks assigned by President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva.

To guarantee internally displaced people a pleasant, secure, and honorable return to their country of origin, all required steps are done. Over 3,000 IDPs have already made their way back to permanent residence. Ensuring their employment is a priority, in addition to bettering their housing and living situations. The State Committee carries out projects in this respect in collaboration with pertinent state institutions.

Deputies of Milli Majlis, Mahir Abbaszada and Nagif Hamzayev made speeches at the conference. It was noted that restoration and construction work carried out in the regions liberated from occupation are among the other priorities of the 2024 state budget project presented to the National Assembly these days. Efforts to support production and entrepreneurship activities are also being carried out successfully in order to ensure the employment of returnees in order to create a suitable business environment for local and foreign investors, industrial sites are being created and other related studies are carried out.

In order to support the business and entrepreneurial activities of internally displaced communities, cooperation with the State Committee is essential, according to Hikmat Mammadov, the deputy head of the Small and Medium Business Development Agency.

According to Nigar Alasgarova, the chairman of the Association of Small and Medium Business Entities and Clubs, professional business trainings were offered as part of the project to assist IDPs in strengthening their business acumen. After they got back, they made business plans for the areas they would operate in and took the required steps to become micro-entrepreneurs.

Videos of internally displaced people going back to areas that had been liberated from occupation were shown during the event.

The project participants in “Supporting initiatives to create sustainable communities through the promotion and involvement of internally displaced persons who will return to their homelands in income-generating activities” received certificates at the conclusion of the project. Ziyadkhan Mammadov, an intern of the project who lives in the Lachin district’s Zabukh village, thanked the country leaders for their state support in boosting the employment of internally displaced people and highlighted the significance of the project in terms of enhancing their management abilities.

The equipment that is given to IDPs to participate in income-generating activities was introduced to the conference attendees.