Azernews.Az

Vice-President of the International Parliamentary Union (IPU) from Azerbaijan, Member of the Parliament Sevil Mikayilova delivered a speech at the IPU Parliamentary Hearings at the United Nations in New York on February 14, on the topic "Scaling up actions for the Sustainable Development Goals: Finance, Institutions, and Politics," Azernews reports.

During the discussions under the theme "International trade for the SDGs: The challenge of poverty eradication through export-led growth", Sevil Mikayilova noted that the sustainable development agenda until 2030 recognizes international trade as a driving force for inclusive economic growth and poverty reduction.

"Without non-discriminatory, rules-based, open, equal-right conditions we can not speak about meeting 17 SDGs with 10,11,12 related to trade. Impressive expansion of global trade and investment over the past decades turned out not beneficial for all. 95 out of 142 developing countries are commodity-dependent. That leads to food and commodity insecurity as well as price fluctuations. As the IPU report says, in 2023 globally the target was not met. So, how to ensure a stable export and import chain? Of course, the first is to use the potential effectively. For instance, In 2024 IMF included Azerbaijan among the 7 countries with the highest potential for economic growth and advancement," the MP said.

She emphasized that significant progress has been made in expanding Azerbaijan’s non-oil exports to foreign markets, serving as a successful example of economic diversification and increasing the country's competitiveness.

"The legislative framework has been improved, export production has been stimulated, and export infrastructure has been enhanced. Taking Azerbaijan as an example, I would highlight that to ensure the efficiency of the export and import chain, it is important to improve transport infrastructure. Since the strategy to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is interconnected, industrial, legislative, and transport segments need to be regulated within a single system," Mikayilova concluded.

At the request of the Speaker of the Parliament of Azerbaijan Sahiba Gafarova, Sevil Mikayilova and MP Soltan Mammadov traveled to New York on February 10 to take part in meetings of the organizing committees for the 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, the 15th Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament, and the UN Parliamentary Hearings.

Bringing together around 300 participants - including parliamentarians, consultants, and experts from more than 60 countries - the hearings are focused on revitalizing the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and discussing the role of parliaments in this effort.

The MPs' visit to New York will wrap up on February 16.