Natural Resource Governance Institute Eurasia Hub II


The Natural Resource Governance Institute's Eurasia Knowledge Hubin Baku, Azerbaijan, provides training for government officials and civil society representatives, enabling them to better understand transparency issues in the resource sector.

Country/region Period Budget
Azerbaijan
01.03.2019 - 28.02.2022
CHF  600’000
Background

Oil, gas and mining are the most important source of revenues and dominate the exports of many Eurasian economies. Transparency issues in natural resource countries impede accountability and more efficient resource management. Therefore, it is important to strengthen the "demand side" for transparency by increasing the capacities of government officials and civil society representatives to ask the right questions.

Objectives

To strengthen a transparent and accountable management of the extractives sector, by building the capacity of government officials, members of Parliament and representatives of the civil society in the Eurasian region.

Medium-term outcomes

"Natural Resources for Sustainable Development" – 6 month, multi-mode course: This course equips key stakeholders (government officials, parliamentarians, civil society representatives) with the knowledge and tools for policy related work in the resource rich countries of the Eurasia region. The course is designed based on NRGI and the Eurasia Hub’s successful experience of course delivery. An estimated thirty persons are planned to attend the course annually.

"Demand-driven custom country-based trainings for Civil Society Organizations": These trainings aim at civil society organizations engaged in natural resource issues in the Eurasia region. By conducting trainings that will respond to the specific needs of the CSOs in a given country, the Eurasia Hub will be contributing to the growth of a new cadre of in-country CSO representatives.

"Azerbaijan focused programming of the Hub / Policy Research and Dialogue": Policy dialogue among independent experts, seminars and workshops held.

Results

Expected results:  

Thirty people from the Eurasia region trained annually

At least one in-country training conducted annually

Eight research papers published

Several policy roundtables, workshops, discussions conducted

Government reports analyzed, reviewed, and presented


Results from previous phases:  

Countries like Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan have demonstrated particular strong progress in terms of EI governance, and the Hub training has been timely to support these developments. In Azerbaijan, where the EI governance situation has become more challenging in particular for the CSOs, the Hub has managed to maintain an independent and quite influential role in the policy-making process through its research linkages.

The overwhelming majority of respondents to the Hub alumni survey has progressed in their careers and is still working in the natural resource sector.


Directorate/federal office responsible SECO
Credit area Development cooperation
Budget Current phase Swiss budget CHF    600’000 Swiss disbursement to date CHF    0 Budget inclusive project partner CHF    3’448’500
Project phases

Phase 2 01.03.2019 - 28.02.2022   (Active)

Phase 1 01.08.2015 - 31.12.2018   (Active)