Adjusting to peace

Azerbaijan suffered a humanitarian crisis in the early 1990s when the Soviet Union collapsed and conflict erupted with its neighbour Armenia.

• 16 per cent of Azerbaijan's territory was lost in the war
• 600,000 people were forced to leave their homes

Today, thousands are still displaced or living in extreme poverty. Rich in natural oil reserves, the challenge for Azerbaijan is to use its potential wealth to build a prosperous and fair country, free from poverty and corruption.

How Oxfam is helping

We are working with the government to improve transparency and help keep local institutions accountable to their citizens.

  Before, people thought of the municipality and its staff only as tax-collectors, but your project helped us to build a positive image of the local authority.

Javid Abdullayev, Khanarab Municipality

Learn more

Read more examples of our work in Azerbaijan:

• Development

Rebuilding lives

In the mountainous regions and central plains of Azerbaijan, job opportunities are scarce. For those displaced by the conflict with Armenia, still living in temporary shelters, it can be especially hard to earn a living.

How Oxfam is helping

We have been providing poor people with low-interest loans to help them start-up or develop small businesses. These are particularly useful for displaced people who don't have the collateral to take out a bank loan.

• More than 2,800 people have now set up small businesses with our help. Their income has doubled as a result.
• Special workshops in business management are helping people maximise their skills.

Other development work

• Improving availability of basic health care
• Supporting disabled people

Oxfam's work in Azerbaijan in depth