GANJA – Today, nearly 150 participants gathered to discuss community development progress in Azerbaijan. The participants noted the challenges and reviewed their lessons learned in mobilizing resources to implement community socio-economic development projects. The conference was organized by East-West Management Institute (EWMI) under the Socio-Economic Development Activity (SEDA) project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Government of Azerbaijan.

The participants of the Third Conference on Community Development included representatives of the Ministry of Economy’s regional offices in Ganja, Yevlax and Khachmaz districts; ten local Executive Committees; communities; experts in community development projects; and USAID. Participants gathered to discuss the needs and initiatives required for community mobilization.

Mr. Timothy Madigan, Chief of Party of EWMI, gave remarks where he noted that EWMI has completed 94 projects in 83 communities to benefit over 142,000 people by improving electrical supply, rehabilitating roads, constructing medical facilities, and providing access to basic commercial facilities, to name a few.

Mr. Randall Olson, USAID’s Director of the Office of Governance and Economic Resilience, stressed that the full benefits of the program go beyond the immediate socio-economic needs of the communities. “Through a partnership with EWMI, USAID, and the Government of Azerbaijan, communities around Azerbaijan learn how to build effective and cooperative relationships with different stakeholders in order to address their immediate needs. These are all examples of how communities, civil society, and government can work together to accomplish development goals.”

Conference participants noted the progress in the implementation of community-based projects since the Second Community Development Conference held in May 2016. The participants also focused on identifying new opportunities and initiatives for community development in their respective regions around Azerbaijan.

Through USAID’s Socio-Economic Development Activity (SEDA) program, EWMI promotes cooperation between citizens, civil society organizations, and government to advance socio-economic development and improve quality of life in rural areas.