Civil society plays a crucial role in supporting the 2030 Agenda, this includes actions such as advocacy, planning, implementation, monitoring and accountability. UNDP has a long history of partnership with the European Union in Azerbaijan jointly advocating for the inclusion of civil society in country-led efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda. In this project, the European Union and UNDP collaborate to strengthen the capacities and to create space and opportunities for civil society to effectively engage in sustainable development.

OBJECTIVES AND OUTPUTS
This project is designed as a multi-dimensional response to accelerate the development and growth of the civil society sector in Azerbaijan. Its long-term objective is to contribute to building conducive environment for a vibrant, sustainable and innovation-driven civil society in Azerbaijan. Specifically, the project aims to: i) strengthen the CSO capacities in policy making; ii) support their engagement in local development; iii) improve policies for social enterprise ecosystem development, and iv) provide opportunities to boost social entrepreneurship and innovation. The project will address the topics of gender equality and women empowerment, climate change and post-COVID-19 response.

The project objectives will be achieved through the following outputs:
1. Capacities of the CSOs for policy engagement around development issues are strengthened.
2. Essential capacities of the region-based CSOs as actors in local development processes are built.
3. Conducive ecosystem and enabling opportunities for boosting the start and development of social enterprise are improved.
4. Social Enterprise Platform is established and promoted.