Opinions of an expert of the International Labor Organization about DOST project

Rodrigo Ortis D’avilo Assumpsao
International Labor Organization. Social Protection Management Information Systems Expert 

I am coming to Azerbaijan for the second time. I came for the first time 15 years ago. My first impression is how much it has changed. Baku has become a different city in many aspects. I also went for a walk to Icheri Sheher and I was very happy to recognize that the place has not changed so much. I think that Baku surprised me 15 years ago as a beautiful city and it remains a great city...

As for DOST, today is my first time here. I had read and seen some details about DOST. Of course, I was very impressed by the methods you applied, the organization of work, the motivation and all the young people working here. I'm not just talking about the volunteers, I'm talking about the entire staff.

In many countries, there are interesting debates about service centers, service providers, single window, several windows. I really like the "single window" approach and I think you use the skills of the staff in a very interesting way to serve the citizens. Also, you pay special attention to the specialization of employees. This is a very interesting method that allows you to balance the services you provide, the new services you are thinking of introducing, as well as the work in the direction of learning and development of the staff.

Additionally, I am very interested in how you plan to integrate staff from different agencies to expand your scope. It seems to me that this is a very difficult task and I would like to see how this progresses .

I believe that any organization, especially a modern organization that wants to go global, help its citizens, apply new technologies and a new attitude to public services, should be constantly changing. We always have to make changes. In this regard, I heard very promising plans during our meetings. The fact that you constantly attract new employees, plan to provide services that will cover the entire country's population, implement new services, and improve old services is an indication of this. I think that you are able to work with changes in all these directions, to make these changes positive for DOST and more importantly for citizens.

I'm also very impressed with how you use data analytics in decision making since it's the field I work in. It was very important and decisive. I don't think a project like DOST can develop without data analytics. So I was very pleased to see you do that.

From what I saw here a little while ago, I came to the conclusion that you provide services through various channels, you make it possible for people to come here, you help them. You have a website, you apply electronic signature, you conduct online virtual sessions. You use many channels, including providing information on social networks. Of course, it is necessary to work harder and find new methods. After sharing information on social networks like whatsapp or facebook, the next step is to provide direct services to citizens through these channels. Your sensitivity to the needs and abilities of citizens, and the way you help them use technologies with the help of volunteers is very encouraging. But note that this process requires constant learning and change. As you help your community to grow, they will change and help you to grow as well.

Certainly I can say that in many issues you are ahead of many countries and you can be compared with countries that do this well. I know that you implemented several international standards, and that international associations and organizations appreciate your activity. This is very promising, but we must remember that these are not medals to be pinned on the chest. All these international standards and certifications are learning processes. In these processes, we constantly check ourselves and fill the gaps we find in this process. Only by doing this, the organization really meets and understands the international standards. The organization must understand that the standards serves the organization, not the other way round. It's obvious that your organization understands this, and I'm very happy about thatIt is clear that you comprehend also the technical security issues, as well as the discussion of the data you collect, the technologies used during data processing and their structure and programming, the role of people in the use of these technologies, how to build this work mechanism, etc. I also know you have serious plans to expand your services. So it's a constant development process, where you take steps to fill in the gaps you've identified from the data you've collected. I know how prepared you are for this, and all these things are very impressive.  But I will admit that I expect you go beyond al that and continue to grow and improve.