Azerbaijan`s Prime Minister Ali Asadov has met with heads of the supreme audit institutions participating in the 3rd Sustainable Development Goals Dialogue themed “The Results of the Global SDGs Summit 2023 and the Role of Supreme Financial Control Bodies in the Implementation of the SDGs” held in Baku.

Emphasizing the importance of the 3rd SDG Dialogue, Ali Asadov described it as a good opportunity to get acquainted with the progress achieved by Azerbaijan in the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as to review the role of supreme audit institutions in evaluating this process.

Stating that the government of Azerbaijan attaches great importance to cooperation with the UN, the prime minister noted that the implementation of obligations under the SDGs was one of the important components of Azerbaijan`s state policy.

He drew the participants` attention to the fact that President of Azerbaijan established the National Coordinating Council for Sustainable Development in 2016.

Ali Asadov noted that important works have been done to achieve the SDGs in the country over the past period. He underlined that Azerbaijan is the first in the region and one of the 10 countries in the world to submit 3 times a voluntary national report to the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.

Ali Asadov emphasized that the 18th Sustainable Development Goal initiative was put forward by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan at the Summit of the NAM Contact Group in response to COVID-19 held in Baku this March. He stressed the importance of SDG, which includes activities related to the fight against the threat of landmines, restoration works in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan and ensuring safe return to those territories.

The prime minister pointed out that Azerbaijan is one of the countries most polluted by mines and other explosive munitions, adding that after the Second Karabakh War, more than 300 Azerbaijani servicemen and civilians were killed and seriously injured by mines.

The meeting also discussed the role of the supreme audit institutions in implementing the SDGs.