Baku - IOM Azerbaijan continues its initiatives for the provision of self-employment opportunities for Internally Displaced Person’s (IDP) families through support to micro and small-entrepreneurship set-up, including market assessments, business training, and cash grants. Currently, the Mission has launched the second phase of the Small Business Support component of the project on ‘Integrated Rural Development for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Communities in Azerbaijan through Revitalization of the Kahriz Water Supply System’ financed by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). At the first stage, a 4-day business training for 60 people in Agdam and Agjabadi districts was held. At the following stage selecting successful business plans, and distributing grants are planned.

Vladimir Gjorgjiev, the Chief of IOM Mission to Azerbaijan highlighted the importance of business training for local community members to start and maintain income-generating activities to become more resilient and wished them success. In his speech, he appreciated the KOICA continuous support provided to the Mission’s project and thanked the government bodies for fruitful collaboration.

In general, activities targeting IDP communities in the target areas under the business development component of the project are threefold: generating reliable data for producing tailor-made initiatives; increasing the financial literacy of the IDP communities, and promoting self-employment. These activities also aimed to help IDPs to improve their standard of living and encourage their participation in society.

In addition to the business development component of the project which envisages providing support to small business initiatives creating a conducive environment for IDPs to start and maintain income generating/livelihood activities in the target regions of Azerbaijan, the project contributes to the prevention of forced economic migration by enhancing access of rural communities in Azerbaijan to energy-free water resources as a means to increase agriculture productivity and livelihoods through provision of water infrastructure, by providing opportunities for income-generating activities in link with Kahriz renovation.

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