The presentation of the monitoring portal for the "Socio-economic development strategy of the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2022-2026" took place in the Cabinet of Ministers.

Rufat Mammadov, the head of the Cabinet of Ministers' apparatus, addressed the meeting, discussing President Ilham Aliyev's decree dated July 22, 2022, approving the "Socio-economic development strategy of the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2022-2026." He stated that comprehensive measures under five priorities outlined in the Strategy are envisaged.

Next, Mammadov provided information on the work done and future measures to be taken under the I State Program on the Great Return to the Liberated Territories, adopted by the President of Azerbaijan on November 16, 2022. He noted that the decree instructs the Cabinet of Ministers to ensure control and accountability for the implementation of measures outlined in the State Program, with information provided to the President twice a year. Additionally, the decree mandates the Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communication to carry out monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of measures outlined in the State Program.

It was emphasized that two decrees of the Cabinet of Ministers have been issued for the purpose of implementing this Strategy. Institutional monitoring, evaluation, and regulation of various issues related to the implementation of the Strategy are organized. In the framework of ensuring effective control over the progress of the work, the formation of the "Monitoring and Accountability Portal for the Implementation of the State Program on the Great Return to the Liberated Territories" has been tasked to CAERC in conjunction with the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport. Monitoring, evaluation, and control will be carried out through the specially created portal, where all information about the work done will be placed. Based on this information, assessments will be made, and the progress of the work will be discussed. Also, the results of the work related to the implementation of the Strategy will be reported to the head of state.

Then, Vusal Gasimli, the executive director of CAERC, provided information about the "azerbaijan2030.gov.az" portal. He stated that 10 goals for the years 2022-2026 have been identified under the five National Priorities set until 2030. To achieve these goals, 20 main goal indicators have been determined. Other indicators enabling the assessment of achievements have been prepared in the third section, reflecting descriptive information of the Strategy. In the "Action Plan" section of the Strategy, 751 indicators are noted for 65 activity directions, with 261 initial, 328 intermediate, and 162 final result indicators. Monitoring of main goal indicators will be continuously carried out during the implementation of the Strategy and will serve as a key indicator for achieving the set targets by 2026.

To ensure the effective implementation of the measures outlined in the Strategy and the coordination of the activities of state bodies (institutions) in this regard, eight working groups are formed. Training sessions have been conducted for representatives of nearly 100 institutions identified as the main implementers of the measures outlined in the Strategy, aiming to ensure control and accountability. User instructions and video tutorials for using the Portal have also been prepared.

One of the main goals of monitoring is to provide support for the effective implementation of tasks through the provision of relevant recommendations during the execution of measures. Based on the results obtained from monitoring, problems arising during the implementation of measures and preventive measures are identified. Monitoring results will be used for preparing relevant progress reports based on the achievements, identifying gaps beforehand, and taking preventive steps to achieve development goals.

Annual target indicators for the main goal indicators covering the years 2022-2026, with the participation of the main and other executing institutions, will be determined as part of the monitoring process. Additionally, result indicators determined in the Action Plan will be compiled annually with the joint participation of relevant main and other executing institutions. Information on the work done based on the result indicators will be presented in a descriptive form in the monitoring report. The indicator table will help measure success, providing indicators for the determination of the results of achieving the goals of the Strategy.

The methodology for evaluating the impact of the Strategy, based on the "Regulation on the Preparation, Implementation, Monitoring, and Evaluation of State Programs," will be applied to assess the impact of the work done in the years 2022-2024 in 2025 and the work done in the years 2022-2026 in 2027. Evaluation questions will be formulated based on effectiveness, relevance, efficiency, sustainability, and impact criteria, relying on advanced international experience.