Article by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maleyka Abbaszadeh published in the People's Newspaper on June 23, 2021

June 23 is the professional holiday of civil servants!

Despite all the difficulties of the last year, it has been marked by the restoration of justice at the expense of our people and the strengthening of our state's position in the international arena. The heroism and glorious victory of the Azerbaijani Army in the Great Patriotic War under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief will remain in the memory as an example of the courage and ability of our people, as well as the unshakable unity of the people and state.

Undoubtedly, this victory is the result of the long-term consistent policy initiated by our national leader and successfully continued by President Ilham Aliyev. The strategic line of the Azerbaijani state, the talent and courage of our people are the cornerstones of this victory in the history of world war and politics.

The development of human capital, the application of new technologies in all spheres of state and society, as well as the principles of fairness and quality in personnel selection, which President Ilham Aliyev has identified as a top priority for many years, are already bearing fruit. Undoubtedly, this victory will increase the national consciousness in our country, strengthen the self-confidence of young people, as well as increase the requirements and standards in the field of civil service.

From this point of view, civil servants have a great responsibility. Being a well-educated, highly civic and state-minded group of civil servants not only fulfills their direct duties, but also has a mission to be a driving force in the development of society, to educate citizens, to instill in them high moral values ​​and progressive behavior. At this point, I would like to take this opportunity to wish success to the civil servants of our country in fulfilling this valuable mission and congratulate them on the occasion of June 23 - the professional holiday of civil servants. I would also like to note that the State Examination Center (SEC) insists on supporting civil servants in fulfilling this mission and fulfilling its responsibilities.

The last 18 months have been marked by great trials and tribulations for the whole world. The pandemic raging in the world has seriously hampered the normal flow of life in our country, the activities of state and public institutions. It is gratifying that the availability of highly qualified and necessary knowledge and skills human resources and relevant technological infrastructure in our country has allowed us to respond to these challenges in a short time, to ensure the normal operation of government agencies.

During this period, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continued to perform its functions in the field of civil service in an emergency mode, taking into account all decisions and recommendations related to the organization of test examinations and interviews for civil service, establishing its activities in conjunction with the operational headquarters of the Cabinet of Ministers. Specifically, all activities, including interviews of candidates for civil service positions, were conducted online, appropriate software was developed for this purpose, and participants were provided with training. At the same time, the measures envisaged for the implementation of the Strategy for the Development of Civil Service in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2019-2025 were implemented, local and international experts were involved in the process, and the activities of working groups were organized online.

In accordance with the “Charter of the State Examination Center of the Republic of Azerbaijan” approved by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan No. 860 dated April 11, 2016, the center announced 7 competitions, 7 general interview announcements for civil service in 2020. Provided interviews on 60 internal interviews.

Job descriptions and interview programs for vacancies have been included in the Civil Service-Position Management System (VIS) and all announcements have been made through this system. Information about the interview announcements was posted on the website of the center, as well as on the websites of government agencies.

In addition, during the reporting period, test examinations for the evaluation of candidates for civil service were held in accordance with the relevant legislation. The test bank of the center was re-examined, new test tasks were prepared, as well as case-type (case) tasks were prepared and included in the bank for the purpose of transition to the competency model and used in the conducted test examinations.

In order to better prepare candidates for the test examination stage of the competition for civil service recruitment, to get acquainted with the existing test samples, 8 test examinations were held last year.