President of the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs: “Our cooperation with the Ombudsman’s Office is successful”
On 19th October, an international forum was held on “The Role of Ombudsmen and National Human Rights Institutions in Business and Human Rights,” dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Ombudsman’s Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
In her opening speech, Ms. Sabina Aliyeva, Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan stated that despite the fact that their organisation repeatedly appealed to international organizations about providing the accurate maps of the mined fields in the territory of Azerbaijan, regrettably, the fact that the armenian government has not yet taken any steps to address this.
She emphasized that, this is the main cause of the delay preventing the internally displaced indigenous population to safely return to their homes and as well as ensuring a safe environment for building the business in those affected areas.
During his speech, Mr. Mammad Musayev, the President of the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ASK), congratulated the Azerbaijani National Human Rights Institution on their 20th anniversary.
“The Independent Ombudsman’s Office is one of the most important institutions dealing with the protection of human rights and freedoms in our country and has gained greater trust and credibility amongst people and civil society over the past 20 years. Nowadays, our citizens can confidently and with ease appeal to the Ombudsman about issues that concern them, and as a result of the productive and efficient operation of this institution, many applications have found their solutions and have been settled in a positive manner,” said the President of ASK.
According to him, the Azerbaijani Confederation of Entrepreneurs has been cooperating successfully with the Ombudsman’s Office for many years and it is represented in the Business and Human Rights Working Group alongside the Office of Commissioner for Human Rights.
“Currently, the Confederation receives various appeals from entrepreneurs and we are using our best endeavours to support everyone within our responsibilities. In this regard, the activities similar in nature to those of Ombudsman office gives us further leverage. It goes without saying that the primary objective of any business at any time is to generate profit. Additionally, in the 21st century any business shall be cognisant of their sustainability obligations to fulfil and meet their social and ecological responsibilities. The respect for human rights and freedoms are the first element of social responsibility. This applies to both the employees at the workplace and also to a consumer, that is, the product buyer”.