WNAM MONITORING: Azerbaijan is the only country in the region and within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) to have submitted four Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) to the United Nations, Sahib Alakbarov, Deputy Minister of Economy, said at a special session of the 6th Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Dialogue titled “Lifelong Learning and Future Skills for Achieving Sustainable Development in Azerbaijan.”
The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs’ 2025 publication on Voluntary National Reviews positively assessed the innovative financing approaches used by Azerbaijan to implement the SDGs and recommended that member states adopt these approaches.
The event highlighted Azerbaijan’s efforts in developing human capital, including initiatives to identify talented youth and create a professional talent bank.
It was also noted that the 4SIM Center, operating under the Ministry of Economy, in cooperation with the Education Development Foundation of the Ministry of Science and Education and the American company Coursera, launched the “4SI Academy (Fourth Industrial Revolution)”. Thousands of Azerbaijani citizens have benefited from this initiative.
The ongoing National Program within the 4SI Academy aims to accelerate the transition to a digital economy, develop knowledge and skills in Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, and support the preparation of qualified specialists for the labor market. Since its start in April 2025, the program has provided tens of thousands of citizens free access to over 8,000 training courses offered by more than 300 universities and numerous leading tech companies.
UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan, Vladanka Andreeva, highly praised Azerbaijan’s progress toward the SDGs and emphasized the importance of lifelong learning for sustainable development.
The event featured interactive discussions and exchange of views on the role of lifelong learning in economic growth and building competitive human capital.
To date, five SDG Dialogues have been organized, fostering discussions among government representatives, the UN, civil society, private sector, and academic experts on various pressing topics.
