Ministry of Youth and Sports (Azerbaijan)

History

The Ministry of Youth and Sport was established on July 26, 1994 by the Presidential Decree No. 179. The statute of the ministry was approved by the National Assembly of Azerbaijan with Resolution No. 861. The ministry was based on the immediate need for development of Azerbaijani youth which suffered from several years of Nagorno-Karabakh War. It was estimated that at least 30% of the Azerbaijani refugees and IDPs were young people under the age of 25. Fourteen committees within the ministry were formed analized how the young people should relate to such topics as religion, business, crime, drugs, education, agriculture, health, sports, ideology, politics, entertainment. The results of government's attention to sports was immediate. In 1995, Azerbaijani athletes brought home 52 medals, including 23 gold. They excelled most in wrestling, boxing, judo, and karate. On April 18, 2001 the Council of Foreign Tourism under the administration of Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan was liquidated and its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Youth and Sport, subsequently re-establishing it as the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Tourism. On January 30, 2006 according to the Presidential Decree of Ilham Aliyev, the ministry was split up thus re-establishing the Ministry of Youth and Sport and forming a new Ministry of Tourism which was later transformed into the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Structure

The ministry is headed by the minister aided by two deputy ministers. Main functions of the ministry are education and training of younger generation in accordance with national strategy of youth development in social, economic and cultural life of the country; education of the youth with universal and national values; ensuring social, moral and healthy physical development of the youth; teaching and popularizing values involving historical and cultural heritage of Azerbaijan among the youth; popularization of patriotic activities ensuring loyalty to the homeland; cooperation with other relevant governmental structures to assure increase in workplaces for youth; assistance in realization of state programs on solution of social problems of orphanages and children in poor families; protection of rights of children; participation in and motivation to create youth organizations throughout the country; ensure cooperation of youth organizations with their peers abroad and their participation in international conferences; implementation of state programs in the sphere of physical training of the youth; promotion of all kinds of sports activities in social life. The ministry also holds annual Festival of Creative Students aiming to improve the aesthetic education of students, revealing creative and talented young people, and increasing its public support.