The US Agency for International Development (USAID) plans to allocate less funds to Azerbaijan than Georgia and Armenia in 2005, the National NGO Forum president Azay Guliyev told journalists. (27-JAN-2005)
USAID will disburse $48 million to Georgia, $43 million to Armenia and $18 million to Azerbaijan this year, Guliyev said.
NGOs disappointed
“Such distribution of allocations is unfair, considering that Azerbaijan’s population and territory are greater and the country has over a million refugees and displaced persons.”Guliyev said that grants allocated by international donor organizations are the only source of funds for local NGOs.
He also noted that several NGOs have suspended their activity due to the large number of such organizations, increasing competition among them in grant projects and dwindling donor programs.
33 NGOs get grants worth $3.3m in 2004
33 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Azerbaijan registered 107 grant agreements worth $3.33 million with the Ministry of Justice in 2004, Mr. Guliyev told. Moreover, the Forum president also said, however, that these figures are inaccurate, as numerous organizations fail to inform the Ministry and the public of the grants they receive.
Unofficial reports suggest that over 400 NGOs received grants last year, Guliyev said. 283 NGOs, registered with tax authorities so far, paid taxes worth 1.664 billion manats in 2004, he added.
