The Ombudsman made recommendations to the “2025 State Budget Draft of the Republic of Azerbaijan”

The Human Rights Commissioner of Azerbaijan participated in the discussions of the “ 2025 State Budget Draft of the Republic of Azerbaijan” held in the Parliament. 

During her speech, the Commissioner emphasized that the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) hosted and organized in Azerbaijan at the high-level, successfully continues its work. 

The Commissioner made a number of recommendations to the state budget of the forthcoming year to address some concerns and increase the effectiveness of protection of human rights and freedoms. 

Sabina Aliyeva, the Ombudsman, recommended including all healthcare services and diseases in the package of compulsory medical insurance in order to reliably protect the right to public health. 

In addition, she recommended increasing the amount for childcare and low-income families for the purpose of strengthening social protection of infants.  

Provided that the weather is getting colder earlier in several regions of our country, and for the purpose of adequate transition from summer to winter time in child educational facilities, it was proposed to allocate additional funding for the heating schools. 

In order to increase the effectiveness of safeguarding the right to health of children in nursery schools, kindergarden-nursery facilities, and children boarding homes, the Ombudsman recommended bringing food norms into compliance with modern standards in these facilities. 

Considering the situation of low-incoming families and vulnerable groups, the Ombudsman suggested to provide pupils with a complex set of workbooks and supplementary materials together with other textbooks considered in the national curriculums for secondary schools at the expense of state, to increase the staff units of psychologists adequate to the number of pupils, and to recruit professional and specialised psychologysts, as well as to increase the number of state-ordered places in state higher and secondary specialized education institutions. 

Increasing the amount of financial aid to military servicemen (with exception of active military personnel) allocated depending on their occupation, and ranks , and the amount of money for temporary housing rental were among other recommendations put forward by the Ombudsman. 

The Ombudsman also emphasized the importance of financial support to the several structural changes, such as the establishment of the Unit on Business and Human Rights within the premises of the Ombudsman Institution and modernization of the technical and material base of the institution.