The "Volunteering in the Social Sector – 2" forum has been held

The "Volunteering in the Social Sector – 2" forum was held at ADA University on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the "Volunteer DOST" program.

The forum, organized by the "Volunteer DOST" program, was partnered with ADA University, the Azerbaijan Youth Foundation, and the Azerbaijan Volunteer Organizations Union. The event, which covered the topics “Volunteering – Equal Opportunities, Social Justice, and Inclusivity” and “DIM: Partnership for Sustainable Development,” featured the presentation of an inclusive composition titled "Silent Harmony."

At the opening of the forum, Anar Karimov, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population, stated that the DOST Centers, established by the decree of President Ilham Aliyev, enable social services to be provided to citizens based on innovative approaches, ensuring citizen satisfaction. The advantages and international successes of the DOST concept, initiated by First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva, and the importance of the "Volunteer DOST" program in expanding the volunteer movement, were highlighted.

The Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Indira Hajiyeva, the Deputy Chairman of the State Agency for Public Services and Social Innovations, Ceyhun Salmanov, and the Vice-Rector of ADA University, Member of Parliament Fariz Ismayilzade, delivered speeches, discussing the significance of the ever-expanding volunteer movement.

Following this, Farid Mammadov, Chairman of the Board of the DOST Agency, which operates under the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population, presented a report on the 5th anniversary of the Agency’s "Volunteer DOST" program.

The report highlighted that the "Volunteer DOST" program consists of subprograms such as "Young DOST," "Silver DOST," "Corporate DOST," "Inclusive DOST," and "Distant DOST." Over the past period, more than 130,000 applications were received for the program, and more than 5,000 individuals were engaged, with the majority being young volunteers. The importance of the activities of DOST volunteers was emphasized.

The forum continued with panel discussions under the title "Volunteering in the Social Sector – 2." The first panel, titled “Volunteering – Equal Opportunities, Social Justice, and Inclusivity,” was moderated by Ruslan Mirzaliyev, Director of the 5th Baku DOST Center.

At the panel, Elnara Ansari, Director of the DOST Inclusive Development and Creativity Center, Aytan Eynalova, Chair of the "Birgə və Sağlam" (Together and Healthy) Public Union, Azer Aliyev, Director of the Youth Development and Career Center, and Ravana Hashimova, Senior Manager of the Workforce Department System at COP29 Azerbaijan, delivered speeches.

The second panel, titled "Partnership for Sustainable Development," was moderated by Solmaz Hasanova, Head of the Volunteer Department at the DOST Agency.

The panel included speeches by Leyla Fethi, Head of the Sustainable and Inclusive Economy and Decent Work Department at the UN Development Programme, Məruz Azmammadova, Director of Marketing and Corporate Relations at "PAŞA Insurance" JSC, Zərifa Zülfüqarova, Head of the International Relations Sector at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Anar Bayramov, Head of Human Resources at the McDonald's Azerbaijan office, and Xəyalə Fətullayeva, Head of the Digital Economy Department at the Ministry of Economy's Fourth Industrial Revolution Analysis and Coordination Center.

At the end of both panels, a Q&A session was held.