USAID: in Azerbaijan, situation with civil society gets worse for second year

According to the report prepared by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), in 2015, the stability of civil society development in Azerbaijan deteriorated. Experts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" agreed with the estimates produced by the USAID.

Yet in 2014, the USAID report pointed to the deterioration of the situation with civil society in Azerbaijan.

In the report "Index of sustainable development of civil society organizations in 2015", the estimates are produced on a seven-point system. Points from 1 to 3 mean "increase in stability", points from 3 to 5 "sustainable development", and points from 5 to 7 "decrease in stability".

The overall index of civil society development in Azerbaijan is estimated at 5.8 points, while in 2014, it reached 5.1 points.

According to the USAID, the deterioration of civil society development comes under conditions of a sharp decline in international oil prices, which resulted in the economic crisis in the country, and two depreciations of the national currency in 2015.

The "legal framework" index is rated at 6.4 points because of the repeated refusals in registration of NGOs and introduction of the new regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers, which complicate the work of foreign donors and international NGOs.

Such international organizations as "Oxfam", "Counterpart International", "World Vision", and "Save the Children" have ceased their activities in Azerbaijan. Many local NGOs have suspended their activities because of lack of financial funds, and the OSCE Office in Baku has also been closed.

Samir Kazymly, the coordinator of the Alliance to Protect Political Freedoms, and Oktai Gyulalyev, the leader of the Public Alliance "Azerbaijan without Political Prisoners", also note the deterioration of the conditions for civil society activities.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.