EU Delegation celebrates the achievements of young people at the Youth Open Day

On 28 October, the Delegation of the European Union to Azerbaijan organised a Youth Open Day to celebrate the achievements of a young Azerbaijani youth who have all benefitted from various EU programmes. The event was a culmination of a month-long youth campaign, joining Eastern Partnership countries in the region to celebrate the European Year of Youth 2022. The campaign started with a press conference held in partnership with Young European Ambassadors and continued with various youth-centred activities and programmes all over Azerbaijan. The campaign focussed on hearing the voice of young people, as well as providing information on EU-funded activities and opportunities for local youth.

“The European Union declared 2022 the Year of Youth and we have spent the last month focussing our efforts on youth. The EU within the framework of a strong partnership with Azerbaijan aims to support equal opportunities in education and jobs for young people. Today we celebrate the accomplishments of many young people who are here today to tell their stories. We acknowledge their great work and we are proud that the European Union has been able to support each of them,” said Peter Michalko, Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Azerbaijan.

During the event 20 young people from various regions of Azerbaijan, including students, farmers, doctors, climate activists, craftspeople and entrepreneurs, provided short inspiring speeches about their work and their achievements despite the issues and problems they all faced during the pandemic. With their good intentions, hard work and support from the European Union, they all turned a difficult context into a great opportunity for growth and renewal. For example, with funding from the EU Urgent start-up support action for vulnerable communities in Sheki, Elnur Ismayilbeyli started his vase production business; and Turkan Burjaliyeva from Balakan expanded her poultry business.

So far, as part of the European Year of Youth, the Delegation of the European Union to Azerbaijan has supported a number of activities like EuroVillage, EuroSchool, EU Youth Competition and more recently, the Study in Europe Fair. Several youth-centred projects were also highlighted at the conference and the EU continues to support young people to start businesses, learn new skills, receive training, and further their education in Europe through the Erasmus+ programme. Young doctors were also acknowledged for their efforts during the pandemic – both in dealing with the health crisis and their role in supporting the EU-funded vaccination programme.