Azerbaijan, Baku, June 21 / Trend M. Aliyev /
Azerbaijan prepares four new bills to regulate the activity of NGOs, the chairman of the Council of State Support to NGOs and MP Azay Guliyev told Trend.
Guliyev said that bills exist on "Trade unions", "Corporate social responsibility", "Social order", and "Public participation".
Guliyev said that the law on "Trade unions" will regulate trade unions activities.
"Despite the fact that this issue is governed by the law entitled 'Non-governmental organizations (public associations and funds)', there is a need for a separate law," Guliyev said, "according to which trade unions may establish their activities."
The draft law "Social Order", Guliyev said, addresses today's cooperation between NGOs and the government, which is currently based only on the grants allocated from the state budget. "But, as international experience shows, the government can provide social orders to the private sector, municipalities and NGOs," Guliyev said. "That is, the funds may be allocated on the basis of orders, rather than a grant contest."
NGOs differ from other agencies in their ability to maintain flexibility and low costs while implementing certain projects, Guliyev said.
"The law 'Corporate Social Responsibility' is aimed at ensuring effective cooperation of the bodies, representing NGOs, the government and private sector on any issue.
"The multinational or local companies, operating in Azerbaijan today, take on the very serious social obligations in accordance with the laws, international conventions and treaties," Guliyev said. "But, unfortunately, they either can not fulfill these obligations or perform them at random. It leads to serious problems."
Regarding the law "Public participation", Guliyev said that one of the main objectives of the institutions of civil society is a social control and active participation in the implementation of national programs.
"Developing these programs and implementing such state programs as poverty reduction, economic development, human rights protection, will be incomplete without the participation of citizens," Guliyev said. "There is a need to regulate this issue by the legislation."
President Aliyev has recently made a number of serious allegations about strengthening civilian control, Guliyev said.
"President Aliyev stressed the importance of participating in the fight against corruption, preventing the negative effects and solving problems of not only state agencies but also civil society," Guliyev said.
Guliyev said that the working group, established to develop the bills, studies international experience and the reality in Azerbaijan. It holds meetings with the coordinating organizations.
MP said that the first draft will be ready by the end of September - October this year.
"If the developed bills are adopted by the Azerbaijani Parliament, many gaps will be removed," Guliyev said. "These projects can play an important role in developing the civil society in Azerbaijan."