BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 5. A unified digital
ecosystem is being developed for the state financing of
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Azerbaijan.
The issue was discussed at a roundtable titled "Digitalization
and Innovations in the NGO Sector" organized by the National NGO
Forum of Azerbaijan, Trend's correspondent reports from the event.
Speaking at the event, Chairman of the Board of the National NGO
Forum of Azerbaijan Ramil Isgandarli said that a presidential
decree envisages improving the e-government information system,
creating an electronic participation subsystem, and establishing a
unified platform based on a "one-stop shop" principle for financing
NGOs from the state budget.
He noted that digitalization is no longer a choice for NGOs but
has become one of the key areas of institutional development.
Azerbaijani MP Azer Allahveranov said NGOs that effectively use
digital technologies and artificial intelligence have more flexible
management models, communicate more effectively with society, and
expand opportunities for international cooperation.
He added that artificial intelligence can serve as a tool to
assist with project preparation and information gathering, while
professional expertise remains essential.
A representative of the Agency for State Support of
Non-Governmental Organizations Fatima Bayramli said work is
currently underway to create the "State Support for
Non-Governmental Organizations" information system.
The new system will enable NGOs to carry out applications,
evaluation, financing, implementation, monitoring and reporting
processes related to state support entirely in a digital
environment. This will create a unified digital ecosystem for state
financing of NGOs.
According to Bayramli, the system will be integrated with other
state information resources and will allow electronic registration
of grant agreements and submission of related notifications,
eliminating the need for paper-based document circulation.
She added that the use of artificial intelligence solutions is
also planned for detecting plagiarism during project evaluations
and supporting other processes.
Speaking at the event, Chairman of the Public Association
"Support for Information and Social Initiatives" Jasar Huseynzade
said that although NGO activity in digital media has increased,
further work remains needed to develop online resources.
He emphasized the importance of expanding the use of digital
platforms by organizations and strengthening awareness in this
area.
Chairman of the Azerbaijan Journalists Network Ayaz Mirzayev
said digital transformation should place people and the influence
of civil society at the center rather than focusing solely on
technology.
He highlighted the importance of increasing joint digital
projects among NGOs, strengthening visibility on international
platforms, and making more effective use of digital databases.
The discussions covered the use of artificial intelligence
tools, digital management systems, electronic participation
mechanisms, cybersecurity, data protection, social media
strategies, and expanding cooperation between the state, NGOs and
the private sector.
