Azernews.Az

By Ofeliya Afandiyeva

Azerbaijan has set up a Council for Public Control under Coronavirus Response Fund on April 11, the official website of the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers reported.

The relevant decree to set up the council was signed by Prime Minister Ali Asadov on April 11.

The reason for setting up the Council for Public Control is to ensure transparency in the use of funds collected in the Coronavirus Response Fund and to regularly inform the public about the use of the funds.

According to the order, the Council is created in the following composition of seven members, including five members – public representatives and two representatives of the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers:

Ziyad Samadzade - Full member of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, Chairman of the Council of Economists;

Shafiga Mammadova - Chairman of the Union of Cinematographers of Azerbaijan;

Farhad Badalbeyli - Rector of the Baku Music Academy named after Uzeyir Hajibeyli;

Garay Garaybeyli - Rector of the Azerbaijan Medical University (AMU);

Zemfira Meftahaddinova - Olympic champion, Member of the Executive Committee of the National Olympic Committee;

Aydin Isayev - Deputy Head of the Department of Tax Policy and Revenues of the Office of the Ministry of Finance of Azerbaijan - Head of the Sector;

Rasim Ismayilov - Deputy Head of the Main Financial Department of the State Tax Service under the Ministry of Economy.

Board meetings are valid if two-thirds of its members are present. Decisions of the Council are taken by a simple majority vote of its members.

The council within two working days approves orders received from the relevant state bodies and state-owned legal entities.

The council publishes information on the use of the fund’s resources twice a month on the website http://covid19fund.gov.az/en/.

The Fund to Support Fight against Coronavirus was established by the decree of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on March 19, 2020.

On March 19, President Aliyev announced the creation of the Fund to Support Fight Against Coronavirus.

Initially, the government allocated $11.7 million to the fund and the president and the first lady donated their annual salaries to the fund. As of April 8, the fund had collected about $65.1 million. Donations have been made by 2,692 legal entities and 8,223 individuals.

The resources of the Fund are used in the following directions to combat coronavirus:

1) The remuneration of medical workers and the provision of material assistance to them;

2) The improvement of the infrastructure and material and technical capacity of medical institutions (including the acquisition of technological installations, devices, equipment, vehicles, goods, and materials, as well as other medical supplies);

3) The formation of medical institutions of special regime;

4) The organization and implementation of control and monitoring;

5) The financing of researches in the medical field;

6) The training of specialists in the medical field;

7) Awareness-raising and enlightenment activities;

8) Other measures taken to fight against the coronavirus.

Moreover, President Ilham Aliyev donated his annual salary to the Fund on March 21.

Currently, the amount of donations transferred to the Fund in Azerbaijan is about $65 million.

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