What's the situation?
Azerbaijan is a country of mountains and river
valleys, where 18.7 percent of the population of 8.25 million is aged between
15 and 24.
For many of these young people and their families,
the last decade has not been easy.
Following its independence in 1991, Azerbaijan underwent sweeping
social and economic changes, which have led to new political, institutional,
juridical, economic, social and psychological challenges.
The disruption of ties with the former Soviet Union
resulted in economic decline and institutional instability in Azerbaijan.
The situation was exacerbated by the Daglik-Karabakh conflict and by the
displacement of 800,000 people. Currently, internally displaced persons account
for 10 per cent of Azerbaijan's
total population. Of these, 30 per cent were 25 years old or younger.
Although per capita GDP has increased in Azerbaijan,
it is estimated that 40 per cent of the population lives
in poverty and an additional 17 per cent in extreme poverty.
The damage caused by this economic crisis is still being
felt institutionally in the run-down healthcare and
education systems as well as on the environment.
During this period of insecurity, young people are
among the most vulnerable in Azerbaijan's
changing society. Without adequate healthcare services or information, they
are exposed to the risk of unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections,
HIV/AIDS,
gender-based
violence, trafficking of
young women or drug use.
Young people who have to live on the streets or whose
families are struggling with unemployment or extreme poverty are particularly
vulnerable.
However Azerbaijan has no tradition of informing
young people about their sexual and reproductive health or
reproductive rights. Such education was ignored during Soviet times so
superstition and misinformation are still widespread. In many parts of society,
issues of adolescent sexuality are largely taboo, stigmatized by traditional
values.
In some communities, patriarchal traditions have
re-emerged, with girls and young women being denied the opportunity to go to
school or work outside the home. In difficult financial times young women can
be pressured into early marriage .
This can be problematic because of health issues associated with early
pregnancy, the loss of educational opportunities, lack of legal protection
in case of marital problems.
The practice of marriage between cousins or other
blood relatives is still widespread in Azerbaijan. There are worrying
health implications for children conceived in such marriages, with a high
incidence of birth defects.
Currently, Azerbaijan still needs
international support to address the needs of young people regarding reproductive
and sexual health, including such issues as unintended pregnancies
among adolescents, the use of modern methods of contraception,
or the prevention of sexually transmitted infections.
There is also a need to involve men in
reproductive health and to improve the understanding of these issues among Azerbaijan's
armed services.
How is UNFPA helping
?
UNFPA has been assisting Azerbaijan
since 1994. Its early projects concentrated on meeting emergency reproductive
health and population needs.
Now, as a leading partner in implementing Azerbaijan's
2003 Social
Programme of Poverty Reduction and Economic Development SPPRED
UNFPA has been specially targeting vulnerable groups of the population,
including young people and adolescents, in the projects to improve or provide
medical services, counseling, advocacy and education.
Guided by the 1994 International
Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) UNFPA has
further contributed to SPPRED by establishing a network of RH centers and
providing medical services on RH for all parts of the population. The services
include:
For more on UNFPA's current projects in Azerbaijan,
click
here.
UNFPA has been supporting education
programmes, both within schools and outside them, as the main tool to address
the reproductive health issues Azerbaijan's
young people
UNFPA's Peer education campaigns
(YPEER) is a particularly successful way of helping young people to get the
information they need about sexual health and safe behavior. Under the YPEER
scheme, motivated and well informed young people
are trained to be able to pass on accurate and helpful information to those
of similar ages and backgrounds. For more about the YPEER initiative in Azerbaijan, click here
In Azerbaijan, the YPEER initiative will be used to implement a programme
for out-of-school education using international expertise. With its
worldwide experience of providing reliable information on sexual
and reproductive health to very different communities, UNFPA realizes
the importance of adapting these initiatives to local conditions and
sensitivities.
Because of the continuing tradition of
male dominance in some communities, UNFPA recognizes that all activities being
implemented for young people need to have a gender perspective.
UNFPA is striving to involve men in
comprehensive programmes on reproductive health particularly young military
recruits and trainee policemen.
In its current programme for Azerbaijan, UNFPA is seeking to
provide specific information and medical services, including counseling both
within schools and outside them. UNFPA has been working with the Ministry of
Education to provide education on these issues in all secondary schools across Azerbaijan.
UNFPA is also planning to expand the
geographic coverage of its community-based services
to the districts of Azerbaijan,
which have not yet been covered during an earlier project cycle. Advocacy
campaigns will be implemented through cooperation with mass media and local
NGOs, such as the Youth Coalition of Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan Scouts’
Association
Current
UNFPA projects in Azerbaijan:
Teaching Azerbaijan's
Adolescents about Safe and Responsible Sexual and Reproductive Behavior
Helping Azerbaijan
to Integrate Population and Gender factors into its plans and programmes
Expanding Reproductive Health Services to help save Women's Lives
Helping Azerbaijan
to gather Accurate, Gender-sensitive data on Population and Development
Helping Azerbaijan
to create a Law on Reproductive Health and Rights
Training Azerbaijan's Doctors and Midwives
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