CavidXalilovEng.pdf (74kb)ElkhanSalahovENG.pdf (47kb)SaadatAkifgiziENG.pdf (193kb)HabibaAbdullaENG.pdf (121kb)DunyaSakitENG.pdf (197kb)
Recently, Open Society Institute - Azerbaijan, held a journalistic competition for investigative reports about issues of public finance—a critical area of concern for transparency activists. Read more below about three of the top five award-winning stories.
"Azerbaijan’s food safety in danger," by Javid Khalilov
Khalilov's article covers the issue of safe food provision in Azerbaijan. The investigation illustrated that the funds allocated to this purpose could not improve the situation in safe food provision. Additionally, the accountability and effectiveness of budget funds allocated for food safety posed additional problems, as did the difficulties in obtaining information from state agencies and official websites.
The investigation included the reviews of independent experts and officials on the issue, alongside analysis of public reports and statistical data.
Khalilov also expanded the investigation with a comparative investigation of the issue in Kazakhstan. The investigation showed that the condition of food provision in Azerbaijan, despite the huge funds allocated for the purpose, remains problematic, and recommended cooperating with nonprofit organizations in comprehensive monitoring of this field.
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"Dried springs," by Elkhan Salahov
Salahov's investigation helped address the unique difficulties of villagers living in regions with poor access to safe water. After the publication of the investigative report, representatives of the executive and the Deputy Minister of Ecology undertook an official tour of the region. As a result, the springs where clean water was collected, but which were no longer working, were repaired and given to the community for exploitation.
The immediate ramifications and response to this story is a rare case in Azerbaijan, as the government was compelled to take action due to a journalistic investigation. Salahov was also phoned and thanked by villagers benefitting from the improved water access.
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"Vocational schools at a standstill," by Saadat Akifgizi
Several millions in budget funds and IFI loans have been spent on vocational school training in Azerbaijan to date. Akifgizi's investigation explores the efficiency of these expenses and covers problems concerning technical provision for vocational schools at various levels of education.
Akifgizi's report reveals that, although the original purpose of funding vocational schools was to supply the employment market with competent staff, professional graduates of the institutions have been very few and private companies are not interested in hiring them. The investigation also included recommendations for government officials on developing evaluation criteria for educational levels in vocational schools and means of independent monitoring; adopting a law on the schools; investigating employment market needs; and cooperating with business structures.
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"International Experience In Waste Management Experience Versus The Preferences Of The Azerbaijani Government," by Habiba Abdulla
Abdulla's investigation covers the issues of effectiveness of public funds spent on different investment expenses, including a waste incineration facility that is being built up at Balakhany, a settlement on the outskirts of Baku, which will be neither commercially viable nor environmentally safe.
Negative medical impacts have been recorded from facilities that meet the toughest environmental standards in Europe. In Azerbaijan, which lags significantly behind Europe in terms of civilian oversight and public supervision, the consequences of waste incineration are easy to imagine. While working on this article, Abdulla visited Balakhany and talked with local residents living nearby the facility site. It became clear that they were unaware of the environmental threats posed by the incinerator.
Abdulla's overview of international experience and comparisons with other case studies introduced prove the "incorrect" decision-making in this sphere and provides wide audience information.
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"Suffering from Chronic Renal Insufficiency," by Dunya Sakit
Sakit, Editor-in-chief of Ekspert journal, examines the effect of inappropriate public expenditures on patients' health, with regard to chronic renal insufficiency or renal failure.
The number of patients receiving hemodialysis to treat chronic renal insufficiency in Azerbaijan is considerably below the world average. In many countries, the government covers the cost of renal substitution therapy. But in Azerbaijan, although the government provided for funding the treatment in 2006, improper budget projection has hampered the project from proceeding as planned, as the Ministry of Health has yet to establish a register of patients. Similarly, no real action has been taken to consider training on provisional diagnosis and prevention of the illness.
Sakit's investigation depicts in detail how poor planning and implementation can hamper even well-funded public health campaigns.
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